By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
MANILA, Philippines –Reggie Miller according to the title of his autobiography loved being the enemy.
And Dillon Brooks found his own way to channel how he feels on the court.
As he explained about him being the “villain” after winning the bronze medal in the FIBA World Cup: “It’s just a persona. People love him, I have grown to love him myself. It’s like Kobe created Black Mamba. That’s my persona but only on the court. I love my kids, my family, my teammates”.
After all, he feeds from the haters who in the bronze medal game started booing him, but in the end, they were chanting “M-V-P” for him on a game to remember.
“It was so enjoyable”, Brooks admitted. “Obviously the hate doesn’t stop, it keeps growing but having my country behind me and having succeeded, it’s just a great feeling. That’s why I said it doesn’t stop. It keeps going. Thanks for being there, and throwing shots at me on Twitter, it motivates me to be better and keep going”.
However, the point was not only him but also the Canadian national team and how he enjoyed being a key member of it: “I was just happy to put this jersey on, I missed a couple of qualifiers and windows but I am happy to put this jersey on and represent my country”.
And that’s why the motivation was there, playing against the USA: “There was a tough loss to Serbia, we really wanted to play the US. We got our wish, Germany had a great game. I then sent to the group chat: “we got what we wanted, let’s just be ready to play”. I really wanted to play against Jaren Jackson, I hope he is all right (ed. note: he missed the game due to illness). I love playing against Jaren, it’s the Memphis connection. I was talking about this during the season. Me and Jaren, I was there since he was a rookie”.
This matchup didn’t happen, but Brooks who admitted working hard on his shot and taking this experience with him in the upcoming NBA season, might have the chance to face him next summer in Paris, where the “villain” is expected to present himself again at the Olympics.