Phoenix Suns guard Dillon Brooks is a fascinating character, and he gave the outside world a deeper look at himself in his article for The Players’ Tribune. In it, Brooks shared how his love for basketball began in East Preston, Nova Scotia.
“If you’re not from Canada, I don’t know what you picture about Canada,” Brooks wrote. “But it’s probably not my story. I grew up in Mississauga. My mom’s side of the family is from New Brunswick — real country. And then my dad’s side is from a small town in Nova Scotia — real, real country, but also like 80% Black.
“Quick history lesson — my dad and my uncles were born in East Preston, which is a pretty interesting place if you’ve never heard of it,” Brooks continued. “It was founded like 200 years ago, mostly by former slaves and refugees after the Revolutionary War. It’s still less than 1,000 people in the whole town, and there’s a lot of farmers out there.
“But my dad and my uncles were all in the concrete business — doing driveways and sidewalks and stuff like that,” Brooks added. “Every summer, I used to go up there, and that’s where my love of basketball really started. That was when Vince Carter was going crazy, shining a light on Canada. When I’d go to Nova Scotia, all my uncles weren’t talking about the Leafs. They were talking about Vince.”
Brooks was born in Mississauga, Ontario, on January 22, 1996. Then two years later, in 1998, the Toronto Raptors acquired Vince Carter with a draft-day trade with the Golden State Warriors. Carter’s sensational high-flying style of basketball captured the imagination of Canadians and inspired children to play the sport.
Brooks was one of them, and he would play basketball all day with his cousins. He was the youngest of them, too, and the only way to move up in the hierarchy was to be a dog. Brooks says that’s where his personality you see today comes from.
“I think without that grit, I never would have made it,” Brooks wrote. “I mean, there’s no way. Coming from Mississauga, at that time, people didn’t take you seriously. Now, with [Shai Gilgeous-Alexander] and Jamal [Murray] and [Andrew] Wiggins and everybody, it’s a whole different world.
“But when I was coming up, everybody rolled their eyes when you said you were from Canada,” Brooks added. “I don’t know why, but I just had this unshakable belief that I was going to play in the NBA. Ever since I was 10. When I saw Vince, I said, ‘That’s gonna be me. Whatever it takes.'”
Brooks first made a name for himself at Father Henry Carr Catholic Secondary School in Toronto, Ontario. He then headed over to Findlay Prep in Henderson, Nevada, after which he made his way to the University of Oregon.
Brooks played three seasons for the Ducks and then decided to go pro. He wasn’t supposed to amount to much, as the Houston Rockets selected him with the 45th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.
The Rockets immediately traded Brooks to the Memphis Grizzlies, and he’d exceed expectations right away. He became a full-time starter as a rookie and eventually became a key piece for the Grizzlies. Brooks spent the first six seasons of his career with the franchise and then signed with the Rockets in 2023. He helped them return to the playoffs and was then traded to the Suns in 2025.
Brooks has now had the best season of his career with the Suns. The 30-year-old is averaging 20.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game in 2025-26.
Thanks in part to Brooks, the Suns have far exceeded expectations, as they are seventh in the West with a 43-36 record. He thinks no one in their right mind would want to face them in the playoffs, and it will be interesting to see how far they go.
