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The NBA fined Dillon Brooks of the Memphis Grizzlies $25,000 for missing media availability in all three road games against the LA Lakers. Fans roasted Brooks for ducking reporters following the Grizzlies' series loss to the Lakers in the first round of the 2023 NBA playoffs.
The league released a press release on Sunday announcing that Brooks violated the rules for media availability. He was fined $25,000, which was his second monetary punishment of the season. He was fined $35,000 last month for shoving a cameraman in a game against the Miami Heat.
Brooks had a lot to say in the first two games of the series before the Lakers won all three matchups at Crypto.com. He ended up missing all the postgame media interviews for their three losses in LA. He even left before reporters were allowed inside the locker room following Friday's Game 6 loss.
Fans on social media were ruthless following the announcement of Dillon Brooks' punishment from the NBA. Brooks talked a lot of trash during the series, but couldn't face the media after getting eliminated from the playoffs.
Ja Morant took it in stride and didn't mind his "I'm fine in the West" comments backfiring. Nevertheless, fans roasted Brooks, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. One fan even tweeted:
"Damn, that's more money than he'll make all of next year."
Here are other reactions to the NBA fining Brooks for ducking reporters:
Dillon Brooks to enter free agency
Dillon Brooks will be a free agent at the end of the season. He has been with the Memphis Grizzlies since they drafted him in the second round in 2017. He's still eligible to sign a four-year, $65.2 million deal with the Grizzlies until June 30.
According to Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype, Brooks is already looking forward to free agency and has set his sights on a bigger deal. He is reportedly looking for an annual salary of around $16 million.
The 27-year-old guard remains one of the top perimeter defenders in the league, but his struggles this season and in the playoffs could affect his value. His trash talking and not being able to walk the talk might turn off teams.
ESPN's Tim MacMahon (h/t RealGM) thinks that Brooks, who is the only free agent for Memphis this summer, is not the team's priority in free agency. The Grizzlies could look for an upgrade and will only re-sign Brooks if they don't have any other option.
Guess the Lakers players!
