Phoenix Suns Star Dillon Brooks Reveals Biggest Foul Baiters in NBA

Forward Dillon Brooks has never shied away from controversy, and certainly hasn't as a member of the Phoenix Suns.

Brooks has been a nuisance for opposing players ever since entering the NBA in 2017, including in accruing a career-high 20 technical fouls in the 2025-26 season. 

The second-year Sun is fully doubling down on the "villain" persona over the course of this offseason, as he is taking shots at L.A. Lakers superstar Luka Doncic, injured Golden State Warriors star Jimmy Butler, and numerous others.

This trend is continuing heading into training camp season, as he named the three worst offenders for "foul baiting" in the league in an NBA 2K promo alongside teammate Khaman Maluach. 

Brooks' choices don't exactly a surprise. He selected Doncic, Oklahoma City Thunder MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Trae Young of the Washington Wizards as the recipients of this honor (or dishonor). 

Brooks escalating a rivalry with Doncic is standard, as he already called the Slovenian sensation one of the biggest complainers in the entire NBA earlier this offseason. The longstanding tension between the Lakers and the Suns is certainly within frame in this case. 

As for Gilgeous-Alexander, the two share a friendly relationship as teammates on the Canadian national team. Brooks is simply a competitor that hasn't let the playoff loss to Oklahoma City escape his mind.

Joking or not, these choices are valid. Doncic and Gilgeous-Alexander ranked inside of the top three in free-throw attempts per game last season. While the means of getting to the line can be debated, the two stars are in continuous headlines for the wrong reasons in the world of free throws. 

Young is a curious addition, as the guard hasn't averaged over eight free throw attempts per game since the 2022-23 season. This seems to be Brooks fully leaning into his instigation bag, as the duo had a run-in previously in January 2025.

Above all else, Brooks jawing at other players during this offseason has potential to benefit the upcoming Phoenix season. The nine-year vet is notorious for bringing intangibles to the table that result in a more connected team, with the consistent trash talk and physical edge seemingly intrinsically motivating teammates to approach a game-by-game basis with more edge. 

It remains to be seen if this strategy will pay off in 2026-27, but Phoenix needs a full buy-in from a roster that is adding the talented Miles Bridges into the fold in the months to come.