Dillon Brooks explains Kyrie Irving jersey swap, Ja Morant's return

You said something about playing dumbass defense and whatnot and then you got the jersey afterwards. Was that just a battle between? Yeah, two guys that love to get a basketball, a pair of guys, he said my defense is gimmick. But clearly, you know, we're on them towards the fourth quarter. Yeah, have a previous relationship, anything. We don't see you doing too many jersey exchanges with players. Yeah, but I'm a fan of Kyrie, you know, for everything he stands for, the way he uses his platform, his basketball game. You know, when you're growing up, you want to be inspired to be able to do what he does.

He's just like Kobe, he's just like, you know, Jordan, those guys, you know, he plays the game at a different pace, use both hands, mid-range, God. And that's where, you know, I want to be at one day when I, you know, be able to shoot a ball more. On the technical, the same thing, you don't think we did the lead way that other people get, and you think that should have been the technical call today? Du was standing up on the bench. He should be sitting down. That's another, that's a new rule. So, you know, we should be putting that on notice, but, you know, I just want to let him know he's a cheerleader. You know, that's it.

Still? Yeah, yeah. Same class. You know, I grew up watching him play. He was a great basketball player. And now he's paid a cheerleader. So, love it. So that's what this was? Yeah, like, pom-poms.

You know what I'm saying? Here's what it is. Sorry, do you have any hope that this one will be rescinded? No, I don't think, I don't think. That will turn you excited. At this point, I don't think that, you know, we don't even try anymore. We just deal with what it is. And, you know, I've got 10 more games, and I get two more T's, and, you know, get to the playoffs. But when you get to the playoffs, I mean, you are one of the grizzlies most important players.

Do you have to, and if so, yes, then how do you reign this in enough that you can stay eligible for most games? I don't know what the requirement is. You know, how many T's in the playoffs? Seven. Seven. So I'm going to turn it down, get back to my mindfulness practice, and find ways to, you know, child it better. You feel like, he's just starting out, like, do you need to try to? Yeah, I'm working on it. You know what I'm saying? Today I got out of hand, but, you know, somehow, some way, some method of the madness, and, you know, we find a way to pull the game with, you know, Santi, Luke, Tyus. Those guys gave us big minutes in that fourth quarter to bring us back to one, and then, you know, we find a way to finish it off.

What do you do on game day when you're not allowed to be in the building? What's your process? What are your routine that day? I still do the same routine. I get a good workout in, like, higher level intensity. I go home and watch my boys work. How good was it to have Job back in the house? It was amazing. You know, I love the crowd supporting him, giving him a stand onvation, and, you know, it's going to be a great game for him to come back against Houston, you know, to get his groove back. You lost, I mean, like, $200,000 this year through the fines and spending. You're a millionaire, but, like, you feel that, right? Like, I mean, it's going to charity, but, I mean, how do you feel about that? It's just paper.

Don't get me. Like, you know what I mean? I play hard, and the media gave me the villain roles. You know, I'm just taking in and doing what I need to do with it. Your teammates said that you're unlike any teammate that they have ever had. Do you take pride in being that unique figure? A little bit. You know, I play the game at a different speed, play with all my heart, my passion. It just gets better and better each and every game, and I feel like my teammates respect it.

I put in the time and the effort to be who I am, and I feel like, you know, I, you know, just walked into this role, and, you know, I try to better, better make the team by just having the knowledge of the game and trying to make my energy contagious. Hey, you guys have been playing so much better the last two weeks. Are you sending a message to the West of the Wrestling Conference that you guys are getting back the way y'all were mid-season four? Yeah, we fine in there. You know what I mean? We're just in our groove right now. Finally, in shots, you know, that stretch, we're in shots. Then we got guys going out, and it was like a tumbling effect. But we found a way to stop it and just keep it going, minus all the noise and minus everything.

And, you know, adversity builds confidence, builds those warriors. So, you know, we let adversity in the face, and we challenge it. And you always get good results out of it. Does Joe have to do anything to earn back you guys' trust? Hell no. That's 12. He's proved everything from the jump. Love him as a brother.

You know, he's the one that really put this city on the map. We were a low-market team, you know, which is roaming around in the NBA. Now, one of the most talked about teams in the NBA, you know, we have a pride. We have a sense of like a chip on our shoulder every single game. And teams come in, you know, ready to play. So, you know, it doesn't have to prove nothing to us. You know, we have his back.

He has our back. And, you know, he should be right. Even said to one of us, you know, with us grooving, he wanted to come off the bench. That's the hell no. You're too good enough as a player. You're the engine of this team. And we need you out there getting reps and getting back acclimated to, you know, who you are.

Is that third quarter, fourth quarter, Closer, who's yelling and screaming at everybody, who's, you know, dunking on everybody, making amazing plays, you know, getting guys the ball, being the leader of who he is. So, you know, he's got nothing to prove to us. Is it on some of you guys' vets to hold him accountable and to help make sure he doesn't put himself in another situation like that? You know, he's holding himself accountable. He's made some changes in his life. You know, he, you know, came to us, each one of us apologized to us for his actions, but, you know, man, you know, he's taken ownership of it, which is a great thing for his growth, for his, you know, for his basketball career, for everything. You're gonna see a different job there, you know, to be consistent every single night, and who's gonna give us that energy that we need to be that top team in the West.

basketball, grizzlies, ja morant, mavericks