"You got no bounce": Dillon Brooks chirps at Russell Westbrook after failed poster attempt
Dillon Brooks is at it again, and this time he sets his sights on Russell Westbrook for his trash-talking antics. The LA Clippers are battling the Houston Rockets in an NBA In-Season Tournament game as the two competitive athletes had quite a streetball scene.
At the 9:11 mark of the second quarter, Russell Westbrook had a bad inbound pass that Aleperen Sengun partially deflected. Westbrook and Fred FanVleet battle for the loose ball.
Tipping the ball forward was Ivica Zubac who then found Westbrook. Right before the Rockets' defense was about to set up, Westbrook drove strong to the basketball with only Dillon Brooks standing in the way.
Jumping as high as he could on a few steps outside the charging area, Westbrook miscalculated and missed the tomahawk slam but drew the foul on Brooks.
Disappointed by the referee's decision, Brooks then turned to Westbrook to vent his ire:
"You have no bounce," Brooks said to Westbrook.
In retaliation, Russell Westbrook just laughed hard at Brooks' antics while he went to the free-throw line for two shots.
Dillon Brooks doesn't mind playing the villain in the NBA
When there is a hero, there is also a villain. The NBA has marketed their players as athletes who have superhuman feats and they often became heroes to the younger generations. But the narrative can't be complete if you don't have a villain that can disrupt the system.
Dillon Brooks has been labeled by fans as one of the villains in the league with his antics and physicality. However, he doesn't mind engaging in a word war against the best players in the league. Through this infamous reputation, Brooks thrives and he likes it:
“Everyone wants to hate on something. Just threw it on me. Everyone can’t be the hero,” says Brooks during their playoff matchup against the Lakers in the 2022-23 season while he was still playing for the Grizzlies.“I’d rather be what was chosen for me.”
The Houston Rockets tapped his services in the off-season to help the young Houston Rockets gain more veterans. Now led by coach Ime Udoka, he doesn't want to put a leash on Brooks and loves what he does on the court:
“What I embrace may not [be] embraced at other places," said Udoka. "I don't mind physicality and chirping and doing whatever on the court. You just need to back that up.”
In his seventh season with the league and first, with the Rockets, Dillon Brooks has been averaging 13.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.1 steals in nine games.