No Way in Hell They Wanna See Us<\/a>.\u201d \u201cBut there\u2019s a method to the madness. You can ask any teammate I\u2019ve ever played with, and I\u2019m pretty sure they\u2019d tell you, \u2018That motherf\u2013 drove me crazy sometimes, but I loved playing with him.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\nLove them or hate them, there are some athletes who simply love to be hated.<\/p>\n
Brooks\u2019 love for being the villain is clearly embodied in his style of play, constantly jawing at opponents and pushing the limits of physicality allowed in the NBA \u2013 a style that has been on full display in the 2026 NBA playoffs against the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder.<\/p>\n
Through the first three games of the series, Brooks has averaged five fouls per game and was a part of a double-technical foul assessed to him and the Thunder\u2019s Luguentz Dort in Game 2.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Another staple of Brooks\u2019 mentality is his unwavering confidence. Following the Suns\u2019 Game 3 loss, in a game where reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander posted 42 points on a staggering 15-of-18 shooting, Brooks stayed true in his belief in himself and his team.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201c(Gilgeous-Alexander) is efficient,\u201d Brooks said. \u201cI got him in Game 4.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite Brooks\u2019 villainy drumming up headlines, the real story around him in this series has been his outstanding offensive production. Despite having never been a true No. 1 scoring option, Brooks is leading the Suns in scoring with 27 points per game this postseason \u2013 something that has caught the attention of Thunder coach Mark Daigneault.<\/p>\n
\u201c(Brooks) is a really good player,\u201d Daigneault said. \u201cHe\u2019s a guy that attacks the game. He\u2019s got a great mentality. \u2026 He\u2019s not afraid to attack the game defensively and be an irritant with opponents \u2013 and I say that as a compliment.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s clearly a guy that has worked on his game because he has shown marked improvement, year after year, and he\u2019s had a great year for (the Suns). \u2026 I think he deserves credit for how he\u2019s jolted their team on both ends of the floor, just with his intangibles. He\u2019s a guy that we have great respect for.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brooks\u2019 career offensive performance is not limited to the series against the Thunder. Throughout the regular season, he was one of the Suns\u2019 key offensive pieces.<\/p>\n
Brooks, who came to the Suns in the 2025 offseason as part of the blockbuster deal that sent Kevin Durant to Houston, averaged a career-high 20.2 points per game in the 2025-26 regular season.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Brooks\u2019 transformed offensive game helped lift the Suns well past preseason expectations. The team finished with a 45-37 record \u2013 much higher than their projected preseason win total of just 30.5. Despite revolutionizing his scoring and shot-making abilities, Brooks has stayed true to his nature as a villain, a polarizing style that opponents hate to face, but teammates and coaches love.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe edge and competitive spirit that (Brooks) plays with is unmatched,\u201d Suns coach Jordan Ott said. \u201cWe knew that competitive spirit would lift our group. \u2026 He lifts our group on the floor when he\u2019s there, in the building when he\u2019s there. Every night, to go to war with someone like that \u2026 it\u2019s good to have him on our team.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Despite the praise Brooks receives from those close with the Suns, it\u2019s clear that league referees do not have the same appreciation.<\/p>\n
In the 2025-26 regular season, Brooks led the NBA in total technical fouls with 17, despite only appearing in 56 games. In addition to the fines associated with these technical fouls, Brooks received a one-game suspension following his 16th technical on Feb. 11.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the game following this suspension, Brooks suffered a fractured left hand that ultimately kept him sidelined for over a month. The time off was not enough to curb his competitive edge, as Brooks received a technical foul just one minute and 29 seconds into his first game back.<\/p>\n
In the article Brooks wrote for The Players\u2019 Tribune, he shared stories from his upbringing, including his lifelong love for players such as Joe Dumars, Vin Baker and Dennis Rodman \u2013 the villains of their era. Brooks spent much of his life looking up to these hard-nosed competitors, deciding that was the type of player after whom he wanted to model his game.<\/p>\n
Brooks believes that while he brings the same physical edge and intensity as those NBA legends, the main thing he brings to the table for a team is infectiousness. On every team he plays for, Brooks said he tries to be the anchor for competitiveness.<\/p>\n
Though loved by teammates, Brooks\u2019 intensity is often met with hostility, not only from opponents, but from NBA fans.<\/p>\n
Across social media, many fans have been quick to share strong opinions and use the word \u201chate\u201d when sharing their thoughts on Brooks, or other players with similar villain mentalities.\u00a0<\/p>\n
While fans hating him because they disagree with his playing style fuels Brooks, that mentality is largely dismissed by Arizona State University philosophy professor Shawn Klein.<\/p>\n
Klein, who specializes in the philosophy of sport, believes that the hate many fans have for players like Brooks is entirely superficial, despite how real rooting interest for sports teams may feel.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s hard for me to believe that fans truly hate any of the athletes they watch,\u201d Klein said. \u201cThey say they hate them, but is it the same kind of hate you feel in the real world? Is it the same kind of hate you would have for, say, an enemy in a battle who is intent on hurting you or killing you? Obviously not.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
In addition to his belief that people tend to overstate the intensity of their emotions when it comes to sports fandom, Klein also believes that those emotions, even confined within the context of sports, can be superficial.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sure Suns fans who say they love (Brooks) now that he\u2019s in Phoenix hated him when he was on the Rockets or the Grizzlies,\u201d Klein said\u00a0 \u201cI think as fans, and as human beings, there is this kind of fluidity, or, for lack of a better term, tribalness, when it comes to liking things that are familiar to us.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen they\u2019re on our side, we love them, we\u2019re rooting for them, and we\u2019re going to put up with, or flat out overlook, some of that villain behavior and antics. Whereas, if we were rooting against them, we wouldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
While many fans are quick to dislike players like Brooks due to their extracurricular antics, it is their drive and competitiveness to be a winner that attracts many others.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When Brooks arrived in Phoenix, media outlets such as The Athletic called the 2025-26 season a \u201crebuilding year\u201d for the Suns. Brooks disagreed with these assessments, viewing Phoenix\u2019s position as one in which he could thrive and compete.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going to Phoenix,\u201d Brooks wrote in The Players\u2019 Tribune. \u201cI saw what people around the league were saying. The Suns are blowing it up. They\u2019re gonna be rebuilding for years. They want picks. My mentality was, \u2018f\u2014 that, let\u2019s win.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Suns fans were quick to accept Brooks and his winning mentality, leaning into his villain persona in the process. Fans bought his jersey, packed out the Arizona Mills mall to attend an event Brooks labeled as the \u201cvillain meet & greet,\u201d and a mural of Brooks was even painted in downtown Phoenix.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Suns fans\u2019 devotion to Brooks was on display in Game 3 of Phoenix\u2019s series against the Thunder. Late in the game, even though the Suns were down double-digit points in a must-win contest, Brooks received loud \u201cMVP\u201d chants from the home crowd while he was at the free throw line \u2013 a clear reciprocation of Brooks\u2019 commitment to Phoenix.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen guys get traded, they always say, \u2018This is the perfect fit.\u2019\u201d Brooks wrote in The Players\u2019 Tribune. \u201cI\u2019d be bullsh\u2013ing if I said I knew it at the time. But I damn sure know it now. Phoenix is my spot. I want to set the culture here for 20 years. I want to retire a Sun.\u201d<\/p>\n
Helping his team become a consistent postseason presence would be a step in the right direction. That starts with a do-or-die game against the defending champs.<\/p>\n
\u201c(The Thunder have) been together for quite a while, through ups and downs, and they know how to fight,\u201d Brooks said. \u201cWe’ve got to come ready for Game 4.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tVillainy or competitive edge? Suns\u2019 Dillon Brooks leaning into bad-boy role in career offensive year<\/p>\n
Andy Romike, Cronkite News
\nApril 27, 2026<\/p>\n
PHOENIX \u2013 Dillon Brooks knows what you think of him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For his entire career, the Phoenix Suns forward has heard the boos, the taunts and the social media comments. He knows the one word that follows him around wherever he goes: villain.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Brooks doesn\u2019t run from the noise. He uses it and accepts his role as the proverbial bad guy.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know that if you just met me, or if you\u2019re playing against me, you probably just think I\u2019m a troll or an asshole or whatever,\u201d Brooks wrote recently in a piece for the Players’ Tribune entitled \u201cNo Way in Hell They Wanna See Us.\u201d \u201cBut there\u2019s a method to the madness. You can ask any teammate I\u2019ve ever played with, and I\u2019m pretty sure they\u2019d tell you, \u2018That motherf\u2013 drove me crazy sometimes, but I loved playing with him.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Love them or hate them, there are some athletes who simply love to be hated.<\/p>\n
Brooks\u2019 love for being the villain is clearly embodied in his style of play, constantly jawing at opponents and pushing the limits of physicality allowed in the NBA \u2013 a style that has been on full display in the 2026 NBA playoffs against the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder.<\/p>\n
Through the first three games of the series, Brooks has averaged five fouls per game and was a part of a double-technical foul assessed to him and the Thunder\u2019s Luguentz Dort in Game 2.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Another staple of Brooks\u2019 mentality is his unwavering confidence. Following the Suns\u2019 Game 3 loss, in a game where reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander posted 42 points on a staggering 15-of-18 shooting, Brooks stayed true in his belief in himself and his team.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201c(Gilgeous-Alexander) is efficient,\u201d Brooks said. \u201cI got him in Game 4.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite Brooks\u2019 villainy drumming up headlines, the real story around him in this series has been his outstanding offensive production. Despite having never been a true No. 1 scoring option, Brooks is leading the Suns in scoring with 27 points per game this postseason \u2013 something that has caught the attention of Thunder coach Mark Daigneault.<\/p>\n
\u201c(Brooks) is a really good player,\u201d Daigneault said. \u201cHe\u2019s a guy that attacks the game. He\u2019s got a great mentality. \u2026 He\u2019s not afraid to attack the game defensively and be an irritant with opponents \u2013 and I say that as a compliment.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s clearly a guy that has worked on his game because he has shown marked improvement, year after year, and he\u2019s had a great year for (the Suns). \u2026 I think he deserves credit for how he\u2019s jolted their team on both ends of the floor, just with his intangibles. He\u2019s a guy that we have great respect for.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brooks\u2019 career offensive performance is not limited to the series against the Thunder. Throughout the regular season, he was one of the Suns\u2019 key offensive pieces.<\/p>\n
Brooks, who came to the Suns in the 2025 offseason as part of the blockbuster deal that sent Kevin Durant to Houston, averaged a career-high 20.2 points per game in the 2025-26 regular season.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Brooks\u2019 transformed offensive game helped lift the Suns well past preseason expectations. The team finished with a 45-37 record \u2013 much higher than their projected preseason win total of just 30.5. Despite revolutionizing his scoring and shot-making abilities, Brooks has stayed true to his nature as a villain, a polarizing style that opponents hate to face, but teammates and coaches love.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe edge and competitive spirit that (Brooks) plays with is unmatched,\u201d Suns coach Jordan Ott said. \u201cWe knew that competitive spirit would lift our group. \u2026 He lifts our group on the floor when he\u2019s there, in the building when he\u2019s there. Every night, to go to war with someone like that \u2026 it\u2019s good to have him on our team.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Despite the praise Brooks receives from those close with the Suns, it\u2019s clear that league referees do not have the same appreciation.<\/p>\n
In the 2025-26 regular season, Brooks led the NBA in total technical fouls with 17, despite only appearing in 56 games. In addition to the fines associated with these technical fouls, Brooks received a one-game suspension following his 16th technical on Feb. 11.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the game following this suspension, Brooks suffered a fractured left hand that ultimately kept him sidelined for over a month. The time off was not enough to curb his competitive edge, as Brooks received a technical foul just one minute and 29 seconds into his first game back.<\/p>\n
In the article Brooks wrote for The Players\u2019 Tribune, he shared stories from his upbringing, including his lifelong love for players such as Joe Dumars, Vin Baker and Dennis Rodman \u2013 the villains of their era. Brooks spent much of his life looking up to these hard-nosed competitors, deciding that was the type of player after whom he wanted to model his game.<\/p>\n
Brooks believes that while he brings the same physical edge and intensity as those NBA legends, the main thing he brings to the table for a team is infectiousness. On every team he plays for, Brooks said he tries to be the anchor for competitiveness.<\/p>\n
Though loved by teammates, Brooks\u2019 intensity is often met with hostility, not only from opponents, but from NBA fans.<\/p>\n
Across social media, many fans have been quick to share strong opinions and use the word \u201chate\u201d when sharing their thoughts on Brooks, or other players with similar villain mentalities.\u00a0<\/p>\n
While fans hating him because they disagree with his playing style fuels Brooks, that mentality is largely dismissed by Arizona State University philosophy professor Shawn Klein.<\/p>\n
Klein, who specializes in the philosophy of sport, believes that the hate many fans have for players like Brooks is entirely superficial, despite how real rooting interest for sports teams may feel.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s hard for me to believe that fans truly hate any of the athletes they watch,\u201d Klein said. \u201cThey say they hate them, but is it the same kind of hate you feel in the real world? Is it the same kind of hate you would have for, say, an enemy in a battle who is intent on hurting you or killing you? Obviously not.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
In addition to his belief that people tend to overstate the intensity of their emotions when it comes to sports fandom, Klein also believes that those emotions, even confined within the context of sports, can be superficial.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sure Suns fans who say they love (Brooks) now that he\u2019s in Phoenix hated him when he was on the Rockets or the Grizzlies,\u201d Klein said\u00a0 \u201cI think as fans, and as human beings, there is this kind of fluidity, or, for lack of a better term, tribalness, when it comes to liking things that are familiar to us.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen they\u2019re on our side, we love them, we\u2019re rooting for them, and we\u2019re going to put up with, or flat out overlook, some of that villain behavior and antics. Whereas, if we were rooting against them, we wouldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
While many fans are quick to dislike players like Brooks due to their extracurricular antics, it is their drive and competitiveness to be a winner that attracts many others.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When Brooks arrived in Phoenix, media outlets such as The Athletic called the 2025-26 season a \u201crebuilding year\u201d for the Suns. Brooks disagreed with these assessments, viewing Phoenix\u2019s position as one in which he could thrive and compete.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going to Phoenix,\u201d Brooks wrote in The Players\u2019 Tribune. \u201cI saw what people around the league were saying. The Suns are blowing it up. They\u2019re gonna be rebuilding for years. They want picks. My mentality was, \u2018f\u2014 that, let\u2019s win.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Suns fans were quick to accept Brooks and his winning mentality, leaning into his villain persona in the process. Fans bought his jersey, packed out the Arizona Mills mall to attend an event Brooks labeled as the \u201cvillain meet & greet,\u201d and a mural of Brooks was even painted in downtown Phoenix.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Suns fans\u2019 devotion to Brooks was on display in Game 3 of Phoenix\u2019s series against the Thunder. Late in the game, even though the Suns were down double-digit points in a must-win contest, Brooks received loud \u201cMVP\u201d chants from the home crowd while he was at the free throw line \u2013 a clear reciprocation of Brooks\u2019 commitment to Phoenix.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen guys get traded, they always say, \u2018This is the perfect fit.\u2019\u201d Brooks wrote in The Players\u2019 Tribune. \u201cI\u2019d be bullsh\u2013ing if I said I knew it at the time. But I damn sure know it now. Phoenix is my spot. I want to set the culture here for 20 years. I want to retire a Sun.\u201d<\/p>\n
Helping his team become a consistent postseason presence would be a step in the right direction. That starts with a do-or-die game against the defending champs.<\/p>\n
\u201c(The Thunder have) been together for quite a while, through ups and downs, and they know how to fight,\u201d Brooks said. \u201cWe’ve got to come ready for Game 4.\u201d<\/p>\n
This article first appeared on Cronkite News and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.<\/p>\n
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