Rockets' Dillon Brooks 'Can't Wait' for Canada Chance at World Cup

Dillon Brooks will suit up for Canada at the FIBA World Cup before debuting for the Houston Rockets this fall.

Jeremy Brener | Aug 16, 2023

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Dillon Brooks is one of the premier additions for the Houston Rockets in their upcoming season, but before he makes his Clutch City debut, he will represent Canada at the FIBA World Cup.

Brooks, 27, is one of the top defenders in the NBA, and he's taken pride in that role for the Canadian national team as well. In a conversation with The Athletic's Eric Koreen, Brooks explained what his role is on defense for Canada at the World Cup.

“It’s being (on your assignment) early, before the possession starts, before the play gets called,” Brooks said via The Athletic. “Getting into guys, re-routing them so they don’t have easy lanes, and you mess up their angles. And then, as well, banging in the paint with bigs that are boxing out or if we got a smaller guy in there. … I can’t wait. I hope they don’t call too many fouls.”

Brooks and the rest of his Canadian teammates are expected to be one of the top teams at the World Cup, but they face a difficult opening group with France, Latvia and Lebanon.

Brooks makes his World Cup debut next Friday, Aug. 25 against France. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:30 a.m.

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Published Aug 16, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.