“Is that a record or something”: NBA fans are going nuts after Dillion Brooks gets ejected 5 mins into Rockets debut
Houston Rockets wing Dillon Brooks was ejected less than five minutes into his preseason debut with his new team. He was assessed with a Flagrant 2 foul after hitting the groin of Indiana Pacers big man Daniel Theis with 7:27 left in the first quarter.
Brooks has a reputation for his on-court behavior, which is why the incident didn't surprise a lot of fans. Even though the play may not have appeared deliberate, officials saw it as a player making unnecessary and excessive contact with an opponent, which are the grounds for a Flagrant 2 foul.
The play and his ejection elicited amusing responses, with one fan asking if Brooks set a record with how fast he was ejected.
During his first six seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies, Brooks accumulated seven flagrant fouls.
Brooks inked a four-year, $86 million deal with the Houston Rockets, a contract that is fully guaranteed. The Rockets were specifically looking for wing defenders and experienced players with a gritty mindset to help shape their team culture, and they added Brooks to fill these gaps.
No, Dillon Brooks did not break the record for fastest ejection of all time
While Dillon Brooks' ejection was notably swift, it doesn't hold the record. Surprisingly, the record for the fastest ejection belongs not to a player, but to a coach.
In April 2023, Gregg Popovich, the coach of the San Antonio Spurs, set the record for the quickest ejection in a game. He was thrown out just 63 seconds into a game against the Denver Nuggets.
With the Spurs trailing 5-0, then Nuggets forward Paul Millsap defended LaMarcus Aldridge vigorously, causing Aldridge to miss a shot. Popovich was furious about a series of noncalls and expressed his discontent to referee Mark Ayotte and even called a timeout to make sure his message was heard loud and clear.
Popovich was ejected after confronting Ayotte.
Without Popovich on the sidelines, the Spurs suffered a 113-85 loss.
In a light-hearted manner, Popovich played up his ignorance about the ejection after the game.
"That person must have hit somebody. Somebody get hit tonight? Somebody get cursed at or anything?” he said.
In reaction, Denver coach Michael Malone described Popovich as truly unique.
“That’s one of a kind right there,” Malone said. "I don’t know what to say after that.”
Meanwhile, Rasheed Wallace boasts the record for the most ejections in NBA history with 29.