Shaq Calls Out Dillon Brooks, Says Loud-Mouthed Player May Be Out of NBA Soon

Is it time to SELL! SELL! SELL! your Dillon Brooks stock? NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal (and the Memphis Grizzlies) apparently believe so.

Hours after NBA insider Shams Charania reported that the Grizzlies were happily letting Dillon Brooks walk as an unrestricted free agent, Big Diesel hopped on "The Big Podcast with Shaq" to give his brutally honest opinions on DB.

Shaq Calls Dillon Brooks 'BBQ Chicken' (i.e., Brooks Is Cooked)

Shaq, a Lakers legend, foretold that Brooks' days in the NBA are numbered. O'Neal blamed Dillon Brooks' loud mouthing during the six-game series and first-round exit for the Grizz.

Paraphrasing in the wise words of Ice Cube, Shaq told Brooks to "check himself before he wreck hisself ."

READ: MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES MAKE THE RIGHT CALL, WON’T BE BRINGING DILLON BROOKS BACK NEXT SEASON

"He didn’t play well enough to be acting like that," O’Neal told co-hosts Spice Adams and Nischelle Turner.

Shaq added, "So now he’s either gonna be out the league or he gonna have to check himself before he wreck hisself. … Who gonna sign him? He’s not athletic. He ain’t jumpin’ out the gym. And his jumper ain’t like that. … His jumper ain’t like that."

There's no denying that Dillon Brooks draws the most groans around the NBA.

His dreadful sub-50% shooting throughout the Lakers series had as much of a deleterious effect on the Grizzlies as his trash-talking. But the 27-year-old did bring back a sense of the brash old-school NBA.

Is Brooks Done In The NBA?

Brooks is far from the amount of taunt or talent seen from the Bad Boy Pistons or 80s Celtics teams, but his volatility on and off the court does present a villain figure for fans to rally around.

If Brooks is stuck in a mindset where he desires to play more minutes or become a primary or secondary option on an offense, he won't be landing on a roster soon.

Now, if Brooks can embrace his role as the goon and maintain scoring averages above the mid-teens as a three-and-D guy, he'll have a place in this league for a long time. Look at Patrick Beverley; guys who are there to stir the pot and not lose games.

The NBA needs instigators like Brooks; so he's not headed to play ball in China just yet.

Like Matthew McConaughey said in True Detective: world needs bad men.

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Alejandro Avila lives in Southern California and previously covered news for the LA Football Network. Jeopardy expert and grumpy sports fan. Known for having watched every movie and constant craving for dessert. @alejandroaveela (on X)