NBA fines Dillon Brooks for missing postgame media availability
Dillon Brooks decided to speak less — and now, it's costing him.
The NBA announced Sunday that it had fined the controversial Memphis Grizzlies forward $25,000, after Brooks "failed to participate in team postgame media availability during the first round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs."
Brooks has long been a lightning rod of a figure for his brash and outspoken takes, often regarding other players. After Game 2 of the Grizzlies' first-round matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers, Brooks when after LeBron James after the two spent a portion of the game barking at each other on the floor.
"I don't care. He's old," Brooks said about James. "He wanted to say something after I got my fourth foul. He should have been saying that earlier on. I poke bears. I don't respect anyone until they come and give me 40."
Brooks doubled down on that commentary, saying he wishes he had the chance to face the James that played in Cleveland or Miami.
"It would have been a harder task," Brooks said.
Brooks' comments sent the NBA universe into a tizzy, and many wondered how James would respond in the ensuing games.
Well, it was the league's all-time leading scorer that indeed got the last laugh, as his seventh-seeded Lakers went on to win three of the next four games, eliminating the second-seeded Grizzlies in six games.
However, Brooks was still making headlines … with his refusal to speak.
Brooks skipped postgame media availability after Memphis' three road losses to L.A., and the NBA said its piece on Sunday, fining Brooks for skipping the required media sessions.
Brooks now enters the offseason as an unrestricted free agent. James and the Lakers are set to take on either the Sacramento Kings or Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference semifinals.
