“Everyone can’t be the hero. I’d rather be what was chosen for me” said Dillon Brooks once, describing his bad-boy persona. If there is any modern NBA player who can match the willingness of the 90s ‘Bad Boy’ Pistons to go physical against his teammates, it is the Canadian star. Pretty ironic, given that Canadians are often stereotyped as being ‘too nice’. The physical altercations often allegedly initiated by Brooks have made him a notorious personality on the court. Unfortunately, his latest victim, Anthony Edwards, did not let things slide by so easily.

During the recent Timberwolves-Rockets matchup, Anthony Edwards and Co. trailed by 3 points as 6 minutes remained in the 2 quarter. As ‘Ant’ dribbled the ball into the corner, Brooks’ extended arm hit him in the face. This led to a foul call against the Houston Rockets. After the play ended, Edwards and Brooks continued to be at one corner. In the end, things got to a point where Edwards shoved the Rockets player, and the duo exchanged verbal ‘pleasantries’, standing so close that they had to be separated by the referee and the other players. Recalling that moment in the locker room, Anthony Edwards did not hold back his criticism.

“I love the competing part, but like all the little slick little dirty s**t. Like, he hit me in the face and then I fell, and then he like, ‘How much crying you gonna do’? I’m like ‘Bruh, you hit me in my motherf***ing face. What you want me to do?’” said Edwards. “So, you know, I just don’t like that part. Don’t do something and then act like you didn’t do it. You know what I’m saying? I love our competitiveness. Like, we can compete all day, we can talk s**t all day, but when you get into doing that, yeah it’s more than basketball at that point.”

Understandably, Anthony Edwards was angry after everything that happened. However, he could have phrased his criticism a bit better. After all, the player’s slang usage can cause him to incur a fine. By including the technical foul that Edwards drew during the recent matchup, he could end up paying fines as much as $25,000 within just one day! Between the start of the ongoing season and early January, Anthony Edwards had been fined for five separate incidents, with the penalty amount reaching up to $200,000! Even though Dillon Brooks may be in the wrong, the NBA will not tolerate indecency from Edwards.

Fortunately, any sting caused to Edwards by the fines could be treated if the player took a glance at social media. After all, the NBA community did not choose to spare the Rockets player.

NBA fans criticize Dillon Brooks over his non-sportsmanship-like behavior: “Unwatchable 0 class”

One social media user criticized Dillon Brooks by writing “Brooks is so unwatchable 0 class”. However, the player’s on-court antics aren’t just something that only fans are against.

In May 2023, Shams Charania reported that the Memphis Grizzlies would not be bringing back Dillon Brooks “under any circumstances.” After all, The player’s on-court demeanor and playing style had resulted in him tying Draymond Green for the most technical fouls (18) in the NBA in a season. Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal indicated that Brooks got what he deserved on one of his podcast episodes. He said “He didn’t play well enough to be acting like that. Now he’s going to be out of the league, or he needs to check himself before he wrecks himself. Who’s gonna sign him?”

One individual used Dillon Brooks’ antics to support Anthony Edwards. They wrote, “Brooks just awoke a Demon”. And awoke a demon, he sure did. The Canadian star may have gotten a rush by reportedly antagonizing Edwards at that point. However, the Minnesota Timberwolves star had the last laugh. After all, he went on to score a whopping 41 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists during the game. Edwards’ contribution played a major role in his team’s eventual 127-113 win. One social media user did not hold back from swearing at Brooks. They wrote “DB is a known BI**H. Nothing new here.” Fortunately, the NBA will not fine him.

The recent altercation does not mark the first time that Anthony Edwards and Dillon Brooks’ names have been linked because of the latter. Back in July 2024, Anthony Edwards was being interviewed after Team USA defeated Canada during an exhibition game. Brooks briefly interrupted the interview by walking past Anthony Edwards. He chose not to say even one thing to the Team USA player after Canada’s loss. Edwards stared blankly for a few seconds in the rival player’s direction before getting back to the Q&A session. Surprisingly, the incident occurred just a day after Brooks intentionally walked in front of Devin Booker while he was giving his post-game interview to cut him off.

One user wrote, “When brooks realizes he’s gonna get cooked all night he resorts to being dirty”. The fact that Dillon Brooks’ behavior is nothing more than a persona hasn’t been lost on his rival peers. After getting into his own altercation with the Rockets player back in October 2024, Chris Paul wrote on X, “All these NBA players be trying to act like they like that — they are not.”

Another fan posted, “Right after Brooks pulled that, Ant turned up and gave em a L.” Not just any L, but the Houston Rockets’ 19 loss of the season. While the Timberwolves continue being below the Rockets on the Western Conference points chart, they are slowly moving on.

Overall, the majority of reactions were in support of Anthony Edwards, and against Dillon Brooks. The trend will continue the more instances of Brooks’ alleged unruly behavior keep happening.