"Guys who believe in me": Dillon Brooks throws shade on Ja Morant and Grizzlies while praising guys with "Canadian blood"

Dillon Brooks is no stranger to being in the media's limelight after the 2022-23 season he had with the Memphis Grizzlies. As Memphis' core of players is a talkative bunch, the Grizzlies weren't able to back up their talking against the LA Lakers in the first round of the playoffs.

The Lakers eliminated the Grizzlies in six games after a promising regular season, and Dillon Brooks got traded to the Houston Rockets.

Now representing Team Canada in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Brooks spoke about the team's impressive 88-85 win against Spain. His comments also included a slight shot at his Memphis, according to "Behind the Play" podcast host Alex Adams.

"Coming off a tough year with my old squad, it was great having a refresh with Canadian blood," Brooks said. "Guys who believe in me, guys who have trust in me. And we figured out how to win this game in great fashion."

For someone who had a subpar season, confidence and comradery go a long way to building back lost confidence. After being traded by the Grizzlies after six seasons, Dillon Brooks sounded off as if he felt betrayed by the move.

He has not made any public comments toward the Grizzlies, but his latest comments regarding "guys who believe in me" can be viewed as a slight shot on former teammates Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, etc.

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Dillon Brooks' impressive outing against Spain in the 2023 FIBA World Cup

Throughout the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Dillon Brooks is averaging 10.4 points per game (59.4% shooting, including 53.8% from 3-point range).

Brooks has put up some decent numbers, but it wasn't until playing Spain that he had his best performance in this year's FIBA World Cup. He contributed 22 points (8-for-12 shooting, including 3-for-3 from 3-point range) and five rebounds. That was the second-highest scoring contribution from the team behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 30 points.

At the start of the fourth quarter, Canada trailed Spain by 12 points. Brooks' critical 3-pointer with 1:19 minutes in the fourth came at the right time as it tied the game at 70-70.

From then on, it was Canada's game for the taking as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander gave his squad a 2-point lead. Team Canada continued to build from there while also making sure that Spain didn't have any chances to regain the lead.