“My Name’s Dillon the Villain!”: Dillon Brooks Starts $86,000,000 Rockets’ Journey with an Ejection, Claims It Was a ‘Reputation’ Call

After an exciting FIBA World Cup campaign, Dillion Brooks played his first game for the Houston Rockets during a pre-season match-up against the Indiana Pacers yesterday. Brooks made headlines this off-season as he landed a four-year $86,000,000 sign-and-trade deal with the Rockets, moving on from the Memphis Grizzlies. Things have been pretty favorable for the newly recruited Rockets star since then, till he was ejected within five minutes of yesterday’s contest.

It seems like ‘Dillion the Villain’ has a reputation that precedes him in the league. Within five minutes of the game’s start, Brooks was ejected by the game officials for a flagrant foul 2 on the groin of Pacers center Daniel Theis. Though it was clearly evident that Dillion Brooks had hit Theis’ groin, the former Grizzlies player dismissed his ejection by blaming it all on his ‘reputation’.

Dillion Brooks explains why he was ejected in his first game with the Houston Rockets

Dillion Brooks lived up to his reputation after being ejected within 5 minutes of a game. The $86,000,000 Rockets star picked flagrant foul 2 after hitting Pacers center Daniel Theis on his groin. After the Rockets’ 122-103 win, Brooks tried clarifying how he never meant to hit the Pacers center and claimed the ejection was based on his reputation.

As per Locked On Rockets, Brooks was trying to navigate a screen and accidentally hit Theis on the groin. Explaining himself better, here is what the Canadian star had to say:

“I tried to navigate a screen. I might have tapped him below waist. But he got right back up. I don’t know. It’s weird that every time it happens to me, I get picked on. I guess it’s part of the reputation.”

Back in April, Brooks had claimed that he had embraced his villain persona following constant criticism from the media. Recalling the same, Brooks reiterated a similar sentiment once again and said:

“What’s my name? My name’s Dillion the Villain. That’s my name.” 

Perhaps this might be a precarious move in the league for Dillion Brooks in the future. Since dropping 39 points on a dominant Team USA, many had hoped Brooks would be a great addition to the Rockets. However, if he keeps picking fouls in this manner, perhaps his reputation as a dirty player might gain even more prominence.

Fans call out Brooks for his dirty plays

It isn’t like Dillion Brooks’ flagrant plays go unnoticed. Fans have always spoken out against his dirty tactics. While some said Brooks has already embraced his midseason form, others called out the Rockets guard for wasting his talents like this.

Perhaps it’s high time for Dillion Brooks to start mending his ways. If such instances do continue, it won’t take long for fans and the media to distinctly label him as a dirty player, eventually affecting his legacy in the league.