It was just last season when Dillon Brooks highlighted his method of defending Victor Wembanyama. “He’s playing a little bit more physical, getting under him, limiting his roles to the rim. I don’t let him get second chance opportunities.” Unfortunately, that same method led to one of the first on-court scuffles of the ongoing regular season. Wemby and Brooks dragged each other to the floor while fighting for the loose ball during the Spurs-Rockets matchup on Saturday. Chris Paul’s attempt to defend his teammate led to him punching Brooks unintentionally, leading the latter to walk away with a cut nose. After the game concluded, CP3 gave his two cents on the incident.

During the post-game presser, Chris Paul highlighted his belief that Dillon Brooks has adopted a persona that is unlike anything he has seen before. Calling it fake, he took a verbal shot instead of a physical one at the Rockets star by stating, “All these NBA players be trying to act like they like that — they are not.”

Believe it or not, Dillon Brooks himself once admitted that he adopts different mannerisms, aka the ‘Villian’ Persona, whenever he is on the court. It is his way of standing out amongst the crowd filled with his peers, as he highlighted after the 2023 FIBA World Cup “People love him (his alter ego), I have grown to love him myself. It’s like Kobe created Black Mamba. That’s my persona but only on the court. I love my kids, my family, my teammates.”

For the Canadian, being extra indifferent to his rivals not only helps him gain the spotlight but also contributes to success on the court. Certainly, not everyone enjoys others calling them the bad guy. Dillon Brooks is amongst them, as he reportedly admitted that he doesn’t want the label. In the 28-year-old’s own words, however, “Everyone can’t be the hero. I’d rather be what was chosen for me.”

Well, the thing that “was chosen” for Brooks has now resulted in him getting hit in the face. Despite this, the player may not let go of his alter ego anytime soon, whether the criticism comes from his on-court rivals or off-court legends.

Shaquille O’Neal once criticized Dillon Brooks’s ‘Villian’ Persona

Back in May 2023, the Memphis Grizzlies management recognized that they had to make some decisions in the aftermath of their playoff elimination. Before long, Shams Charania reported that the franchise 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.

On top of that, he received criticism for laying on more than average trash-talk, on and off the court, towards LeBron James. During Game 3 of the Lakers-Grizzlies playoff matchup in 2023, the officials ejected Brooks after he struck James in the groin. All of this may have made Shaquille O’Neal believe that the player certainly deserves what was coming to him.

During a segment of his ‘The Big Podcast’, the 4x NBA champion outrightly stated that Brooks will not find a team so easily. After all, “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?” Along with Brook’s demeanor, the Lakers legend also took a shot at the guard’s poor performance by adding,adding, “He’s not athletic, he ain’t jumping out the gym and his jumper ain’t like that.”

We will see whether either Dillon Brooks, Victor Wembanyama, or Chris Paul will receive some punishment in the aftermath of the recent incident.