Grizzlies' Dillon Brooks hit with $25,000 fine for avoiding reporters
The Grizzlies were eliminated from the postseason by the Los Angeles Lakers in six games
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Memphis Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks avoided talking to reporters after some of the team’s games in their series loss to the Los Angeles Lakers and on Sunday he suffered the consequences.
The NBA announced Brooks was fined $25,000 for his violation of league rules for "media interview access."
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Lakers' Rui Hachimura celebrates his dunk next to Memphis Grizzlies' Dillon Brooks during Game 6 of a first-round playoff series Friday, April 28, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong / AP Newsroom)
"The fine results from Brooks’ failure to participate in team postgame media availability during his first round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs," the league said.
The spotlight was largely on Brooks after he began to trash-talk LeBron James at the start of the playoffs series. After he called James "old," he was ejected from Game 3 for hitting the NBA’s all-time leading scorer in the groin. He then lambasted the media for labeling him the villain in the series.
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Los Angeles Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell shouts to teammates as Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks defends during Game 5 in a first-round playoff series Wednesday, April 26, 2023, in Memphis. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill / AP Newsroom)
He bolted from the Memphis locker room after Friday’s series loss before reporters were allowed inside.
It was the second fine for Brooks this year, with the 6-foot-6 forward having to pay $35,000 for shoving a camera person on the sideline while he chased a loose ball against the Miami Heat in March. He was also suspended for a game in February for hitting Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell in the groin. That move cost him nearly $79,000 in fines.
Brooks is set to become a free agent once the offseason begins.
Memphis Grizzlies' Dillon Brooks watches from the bench during Game 6 of the playoff series against the Lakers Friday, April 28, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong / AP Newsroom)
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He averaged 14.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 73 games this season.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.