Memphis' Dillon Brooks Doesn't Think He's A 'Villain,' Blames Media's Bad 'Persona' Of Him For Ejection

Memphis' Dillon Brooks is discovering that the "villain" persona he's been building up all season isn't working in the playoffs.

As a result, he's trying to shed the title.

Dillon Brooks Exposed As Heckler, Doesn't Want To Be 'Villain' Anymore

Brooks had a short night against the Lakers on Saturday after tapping LeBron James in the family jewels.

Brooks dodged the media after the embarrassing loss. He eventually delivered his thoughts on the early exit and pitiful L to reporters on Sunday.

By Dillon Brooks' account, he shouldn't have been ejected and blamed the decision on fans labeling him a "villain."

"The media making me a villain, the fans making me a villain, that just creates another persona on me," Brooks said — missing self-awareness like he misses shots.

The dirty shot at the King wasn't surprising for a character like Brooks, but it happened on a night when the Grizzlies shouldn't have been caught up in distractions. Based on the optics in the second half, Brooks' move inspired the Lakers to pull off a statement game at home and take a 2-1 series lead.

Bad Boy Antics Are Sinking The Grizzlies

Considering Brooks has talked smack the heck out of LeBron coming into the series without much game of his own, it's been an embarrassing stretch of games for DB.

Brooks exited Saturday's game with 19 minutes, seven points and shooting 3-for-13 from the field.

Dillon Brooks continues to miss that players are seeing past his "Bad Boy" antics. In playoff time, the men step up and the boys take a back seat. He hasn't been able back up the talk and is being exposed as a heckler rather than an assignment for opposing teams.

Down on his luck on Saturday, Brooks decided it was time for him to watch his team from the locker room rather than putting a body on LeBron and elevating the Grizzlies to a win.

"I’ve been talking all year," Brooks added on Sunday. "We just didn’t make shots at the beginning of the game. We weren't following the gameplan at the beginning of the game, and we were letting them do what they do: get in transition and rebounding the basketball on the offensive end."

While the NBA certainly captivates more attention when guys like Brooks stir up beef on and off the court, it tends to come at the cost of the heckler and his team. The Grizzlies now appear discombobulated due to Brooks' recklessness and out of a real shot at making it past the first round in the West.

Brooks was fortunate to not get suspended by the NBA for his nut-tap on James. He will suit up at Crypto.com Arena on Monday for Game 4.

More fireworks to come ...