That took little time.
Dillon Brooks was ejected less than five minutes into his debut with the Houston Rockets on Tuesday. It took precisely 4:33 seconds.
His transgression? The act of striking an opponent below the belt. During a basketball match.
The incident occurred during a preseason contest between the Houston Rockets and the Indiana Pacers. The victim’s name is Daniel Theis.
Brooks was defending Bennedict Mathurin on the perimeter as Houston held a 13-10 advantage over Bennedict Mathurin. Brooks was given a screen by Theis. The response from Brooks was a left uppercut to the groin. It was an accurate strike.
This is a closeup.
And one more perspective for good measure.
Understandably, Theis was not delighted. However, he maintained his cool.
In the meantime, officials consulted the monitor to ascertain the severity of the violation. They accurately determined that it was a second-degree flagrant violation, which results in an automatic ejection.
Brooks grinned upon learning his fate and waved farewell to the Houston crowd. Afterward, he jogged off the floor without objection.
“While attempting to navigate an interface, I may have touched him below the waist. “However, you know that he immediately stood back up,” Brooks said. “I don’t know, it’s strange that every time it happens to me, I am ridiculed. However, I suppose that’s just part of the reputation.”
So, does Brooks have a target on his back?
“I’m not sure. What is your name? What am I called? “Dillon the Villain, I suppose,” Brooks responded.
This is typical
In six seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies, Brooks earned a reputation as a player that opposing players, well, dislike. And it is due to such circumstances. Just ask James LeBron.
That low blow on James in the playoffs last season likewise earned Brooks a flagrant 2, an assessment Brooks later blamed on media and fans.
“The media making me a villain, the fans making me a villain, that just creates another persona on me,” Brooks said in April while arguing that he didn’t deserve a flagrant 2 for punching another man in his private area.
Although Brooks was agitated at the time, he appears anxious to reprise his role in Houston. Rockets opponents have been forewarned.
