Houston Rockets swingman Dillon Brooks got a little teary-eyed Friday during his team’s visit to FedExForum in Memphis, Tenn.
The Memphis Grizzlies hosted Brooks’ Rockets for the second half of a home-and-home between the two Western Conference squads.
The matchup was Brooks’ first time returning to the arena he once called home since leaving for the Rockets in the offseason.
The Grizzlies prepared a tribute video for Brooks to mark the occasion, which had the Oregon alum feeling all kinds of emotions.
SHOUTOUT CANADA 👏🇨🇦
Welcome back to the 901, DB 💙 pic.twitter.com/Ku80ukkjxl
— Grizzlies On FanDuel Sports Network (@FDSN_Grizzlies) December 16, 2023
Brooks even got a standing ovation from the thousands of Grizzlies fans in attendance.
Standing ovation and tribute video for Dillon Brooks in Memphis tonight 🥹 pic.twitter.com/3w4vsmQpow
— Jessica Benson (@jessbensontv) December 16, 2023
Brooks has opened up about his rather unceremonious exit from the Grizzlies. He even claimed that his former team used him as a scapegoat to mask some other underlying struggles. But it seems as though Brooks can compartmentalize his recent frustrations from the good times he had in Memphis.
Brooks clearly does not have the highest approval rating among players in the NBA. He’s fully embraced his image as a villain, as evidenced by the way he continues to trash talk respected stars.
The Grizzlies organization and its fans, however, appear to still be grateful to Brooks for his six seasons with the team.
