Feb 10, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard/forward Dillon Brooks (3) reacts during the second half the game at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images
Feb 10, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard/forward Dillon Brooks (3) reacts during the second half the game at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images
The Phoenix Suns’ star Dillon Brooks hosted a basketball camp for young kids at the Arizona Athletic Grounds, which is about 40 miles from Phoenix. There, he spoke to Doug Haller of The Athletic and got candid about how his reputation as a ‘villain’ is often misunderstood.
“As a human being, you have good, and you have a little bit of bad, a little bit of villainy,” said Brooks. “It’s always in moderation, but I feel like people kind of resonate with that.”
“A villain doesn’t have to be always bad. There’s good in it, as well. It’s the hard work. It’s the relentlessness to be the best at what you want to be, and I try to instill that in myself and try to showcase it differently,” Brooks added.
Dillon Brooks is coming off a 2025-26 season in which he posted his career-best scoring numbers. He averaged 20.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists while shooting 43.5% from the field and 34.4% from behind the three-point line.
But despite such a promising scoring season, kids are more inspired by his villainous reputation and defensive grit. Even when his camp began, he pulled out his famous stare-off, which he usually brings out against rivals like LeBron James and the Warriors, but this time it was with the young kids.
Dillon Brooks & all his youth campers having a stare off when he arrived to his own camp @Sports360AZ pic.twitter.com/DeGmDbom3A
— Eliav Gabay (@eliavgabay) September 12, 2026
A San Diego resident, Joseph Harb, 15, said he made a six-hour drive with his parents “just for this, bro.” He was impressed by Dillon Brooks’ toughness and “the guts to stand up to everyone,” a quality necessary to be a villain.
“Hey, every team needs a villain,” said Salomon Silverio, the father of a 10-year-old attending the camp. “Plus, he brings that defensive mentality that every team needs. You would hate to play against him.”
Dillon Brooks recently returned from a 10-day trip to China, where he also learned a lot about kung fu. He also told Haller a bit about it.
“I got to see a lot of new things and be knowledgeable in some things that I wanted to be,” Brooks said. “I was in a different city every single day. The people and the fans were great.”
His mentality, toughness, and villainy on the court have clearly inspired the younger generation far more than his skills and defense. Clearly, Brooks’ “villain” persona has evolved beyond the court.
Dillon Brooks is demonstrating that being a villain can inspire just as much as being a hero as he continues to build on his legacy with the Suns.