Foul-baiting has become a big talking point in the NBA in recent years, and Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks is among the many who have complained about it. So, when Brooks appeared on the latest episode of Deflected, he shared his list of the top three foul-baiters in the NBA today.
“Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander], Luka Doncic, and he’s probably No. 1, and oh my god, Trae Young,” Brooks said.
Brooks was joined by his Suns teammate Khaman Maluach here, and the young center brought up Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid. Maluach called Embiid his big brother, but he had to throw his name in there.
Brooks agreed Embiid is definitely in the conversation, but it’s Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic whom he is putting right at the top. Doncic did lead the NBA with 10.1 free throw attempts per game in 2025-26. It was the second time in his career that he had hit double digits in a season.
Doncic was living at the free-throw line when he last faced Brooks. The Slovenian went 13-14 from the charity stripe as the Lakers beat the Suns 116-114 on Dec. 14, 2025.
Speaking of living at the free-throw line, that’s what Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander did when he faced the Suns in the first round of the 2026 playoffs. Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 12.3 free-throw attempts per game as the Thunder completed a series sweep.
Before that series began, Brooks had claimed the Thunder had a lot of foul baiters. Gilgeous-Alexander was really the only one repeatedly getting to the line, though. It’s why the two-time MVP is widely regarded as the top foul-baiter in the NBA. Even Jaylen Brown has called out Gilgeous-Alexander for foul-baiting. That tag isn’t going to go away anytime soon.
Interestingly, though, Gilgeous-Alexander has never led the NBA in free-throw attempts per game in a season. The Canadian ranked fourth last season with 9.0 per game.
Lastly, we get to Washington Wizards star Trae Young, who is somewhat of a forgotten name now when it comes to foul-baiters. Young used to routinely get called out for hunting for fouls, but only averaged 6.5 free-throw attempts per game for the Wizards and Atlanta Hawks in 2025-26. He isn’t quite as adept as he once was (9.3 free-throw attempts per game in his sophomore season), but Brooks hasn’t forgotten the past.
Dillon Brooks Mocked The Lakers
Brooks ranking Doncic at the top of this list wouldn’t go down well with the Lakers fans. The 30-year-old already isn’t a very popular figure in Los Angeles. On top of the on-court antics, Brooks also called the new-look Lakers sweet earlier this offseason.
“Oh, Lakers are sweet,” Brooks said. “They are so sweet. They’re about to get… If Luka don’t average 40, [laughs].”
Brooks, who averaged 20.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game in 2025-26, sure is giving the Lakers added motivation to take down him and the Suns. These Pacific Division rivals will be facing off four times next season, with the first meeting on Nov. 15 in Phoenix.
Expect Brooks to be up to his usual antics then. He had trolled Doncic and taunted LeBron James during a Suns-Lakers game last season. Brooks is one of the finest instigators in the NBA today and loves poking bears. That has backfired a few times by now, but he still isn’t planning on changing his ways.
