In 2023, Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks enjoyed a strong run as Canada secured its first FIBA World Cup medal. He punctuated that effort with an astonishing 39-point outburst on peak efficiency during a third-place game victory versus the United States.
Brooks was named Best Defensive Player at the tournament.
At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Brooks and his native Canada appear poised to make another deep tournament run. After a 2-0 start to the three-game group phase of Olympic play, Canada has already secured its spot in the eight-team, single elimination quarterfinals.
Brooks is a clear reason, with averages of 15.0 points and 4.0 rebounds in 24.4 minutes while shooting 50.0% from the field and over 70% on 3-pointers. His average plus/minus for each game, which represents Canada’s scoring margin with Brooks on the court, is +17.5.
Dillon Brooks nails a 3 over his Rocket teammate Jock Landale and gives him a hug after the win. Brooks finished with 16 points on 3-6 from 3 in Canada’s win pic.twitter.com/Y6XM18phxV
— Lachard Binkley (@BinkleyHoops) July 30, 2024
“I like to play for my country; it gives me a lot of passion to do so,” Brooks told BasketNews. “For the game itself, you have to be 40 minutes attentive to detail. All those things add a lot more to a player.”
Canada finishes group-stage play versus Spain on Friday, with tipoff set for 10:15 a.m. Central (it can be streamed on Peacock). Until then, here is a look at Brooks’ 2024 Olympic highlights, in photos.
