Warriors’ Steve Kerr declares Dillon Brooks has ‘one of the dirtiest plays I’ve ever seen’ after Suns win

SAN FRANCISCO, CA– Safe to say, there’s no love lost between Dillon Brooks and the Golden State Warriors.

After the Dubs’ narrow 119-116 win over the Phoenix Suns, in a heated rematch full of technical fouls and a Draymond Green ejection, Steve Kerr blasted Brooks over his history of dirty plays, two nights after Brooks checked Stephen Curry in the stomach well after a three-point attempt.

“How could you not be upset?” Kerr said when asked about Brooks’ flagrant foul from the Dubs’ 99-98 loss to the Suns on Friday.

“This is a guy who broke Gary [Payton II]’s elbow in the playoffs, clotheslining him with one of the dirtiest plays I’ve ever seen. It’s not like there’s not a track record there. It’s right there; they look at it. I don’t know what the point of replay is if you’re not going to kick a guy out for literally punching somebody. It’s bizarre to me that he was not, first of all, ejected for that, and then suspended or fined.”

Kerr told reporters that the Warriors had spoken to the league office about Brooks’ flagrant foul, penalty one. The Dubs’ coach declined to share specifically what was said between the two parties. However, the NBA’s last two-minute report confirmed Brooks’ flagrant foul one as the correct call, signalling that the league is firm in its ruling.

Kerr believes the league’s ruling sets a dangerous precedent for adjudicating flagrant fouls moving forward.

“This is my take. You’re now allowed to premeditate a punch at any shooter who’s left defenseless. You can now take a swing out and know, you’re just going to get a flagrant one.”

“So, I don’t know, maybe we’re going to do that,” Kerr joked. “But probably not.”

“This is a guy [Dillon Brooks] who broke Gary’s elbow in the playoffs clotheslining him on one of the dirtiest plays I’ve ever seen… its not like there isn't a track record.”

– Steve Kerr

(via @anthonyVslater)

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— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 21, 2025

Brooks’ extensive history with the Warriors

Brooks has long been a thorn in Golden State’s side, dating back to his days with the Memphis Grizzlies. In 2021, he first gained notoriety when the Grizzlies knocked out the Dubs in the very first year of the play-in tournament, in which he was a key defender in bothering Curry.

The following year, the Warriors and Grizzlies faced off in the Western Conference Semifinals, which is when his dangerous foul on Payton occurred, earning him a suspension in Game 3 of the series. Payton, however, missed the rest of the series and the entire Conference Finals due to a broken elbow.

And last season, in the Dubs’ first-round series with the Houston Rockets, there were several heated moments between Brooks and the Warriors. The Warriors’ broadcasters accused Brooks of targeting Curry’s injured thumb after his shot attempts on his follow-through. And after Game 5, Brooks had this to say about those claims.

“If I had an injured ankle, I would attack that ankle every single time,” Brooks said. “So, whatever they’re saying on the broadcast, they can keep saying it.”

At the time, what Brooks was doing by hitting Curry’s follow-through arm after the shot was well within the legal confines of the rulebook. But this past offseason, the league changed the rule to disallow the loophole that allowed defenders to make contact with a shooter’s arm. They now classify it as “hot-stove contact,” which counts as a shooting foul.

Warriors players’ comments on Brooks

Brooks, after Friday’s game, explained his thought process behind the flagrant foul on Curry.

“I thought he was running to try to get the rebound, so I tried to stop him,” Brooks said. “I don’t know how to explain it. Just gotta figure it out for next game so I don’t do anything to put our team in a bad spot.”

After the game, Payton had a simple answer when a reporter asked for his perspective on Brooks’ playstyle and history of questionable plays.

“Just who he is.”

The Warriors will see Brooks one more time this regular season.

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