Suns Star Dillon Brooks Channels Inner Kobe With Villain Nickname

PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns are off to a surprisingly good start to the 2025-26 season, and while many facets have played a role in doing so, it's hard to ignore the impact Dillon Brooks has had in Phoenix.

Throughout his career, you either love or hate Brooks for his antics and deamonor -- and that mostly depends on whether he's on your team or not.

Brooks' "Villain" aura has taken on a life of its own, and recently he sat down with ESPN to discuss how he's adopted into the nickname:

Dillon Brooks Talks Villain Nickname

"I've been taking it on. It's like what Kobe said -- having the black mamba in between the lines and being Kobe Bryant outside of the lines. I've been living that, it's been giving me a lot of energy, clarity and when I come between those lines it's about just the Dillon the Villain, being who I am and expressing every single facet of my game."

When asked if he liked the "Dillon The Villain" motto, he responded with: "I like it. It's pretty cool. It rhymes. When a nickname rhymes it should be pretty good."

Dillon on his villain nickname:

"I've been taking it on. It's like what Kobe said having the black mamba in between the lines and being Kobe Bryant outside of the lines. I've been living that, it's been giving me a lot of energy, clarity and when I come between those lines it's… pic.twitter.com/r6teWegKsu
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) December 5, 2025

Brooks has had a career-year scoring the ball, averaging 22.3 points per night for the Suns during their 13-10 start to the regular season.

Recently, Brooks drew praise from another top villain in the league in Draymond Green:

"I wasn't sold earlier in his career I'll be honest -- but you continue to work and I'll always be honest and keep it real. If he continues to play the way he's playing I think he'll be a little more than all-defense, I think he has a legit opportunity to be an all-star if he keeps this up," said Green.

The main calling card for the Suns under Jordan Ott has been their defensive hustle and grit, which personifies Brooks' mode of play.

“He plays extremely hard every single night and he works extremely hard on his game," Ott said of Brooks earlier this season.

"This means something different to him and we feel that as a group.”

Brooks certainly plays like it, but so do the Suns as a unit.

For the first time in years, the Suns have a clear identity on both sides of the floor.

Whether Phoenix actually makes the postseason or not remains to be seen, though Brooks clearly is living up to his name.