NEW YORK – Grizzlies sparkplug Dillon Brooks did all kinds of talking on and off the court during Memphis' first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers.
But his decision not to talk to the media after some playoff losses, including Game 6, which was the worst playoff loss in franchise history and ended the Grizzlies' season, will cost him $25,000 in league fines.
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The NBA said Sunday in a news release that Brooks violated league rules for “media interview access” by not participating in “team postgame media availability” during the playoffs. Brooks bolted from the Memphis locker room after Friday's series loss before reporters were allowed inside.
Hi latest discipline follows his ejection from Game 3 for striking LeBron James in the groin. That was after he called James “old,” embraced his nickname “Dillon the Villain" and led the NBA with 18 technical fouls this season, earning a pair of one-game suspensions in the process.
It’s also the second fine for Brooks this year, with the 6-foot-6 forward/guard having to pay $35,000 for shoving a camera person on the sideline while chasing a loose ball in Miami in March (he later apologized). He also was suspended a game in February for hitting the Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell in the groin, costing him $78,621 in pay, according to Spotrac.com.
This was the last season of the 27-year-old's contract with the Grizzlies, and he'll be an unrestricted free agent in the offseason. Memphis general manager Zach Kleiman has said about Brooks’ future with the Grizzlies: “I’ll hit on DB another day. Nothing I can comment on.”
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