Dillon Brooks was seen this past weekend in Greece attending the basketball playoff match between Olympiacos Piraeus and Barcelona, and caught the attention of the European press. Once the game was over, the Rockets star couldn’t help but praise the EuroLeague atmosphere and competition he witnessed.
When asked about why he had travelled here to watch this contest, the Houston guard told the press he was visiting a good friend. “I’m watching my boy Naz Mitrou-Long playing for Olympiacos. I always wanted to watch Euro basketball. I’m glad I’m here,” he replied.
The player, who will now rest before joining the Canadian national squad as they prepare for the 2024 Paris Olympics, admitted that the passion for basketball in Europe is “on another level” compared to the NBA.
Dillon Brooks in the house for the Euroleague playoffs 🔥
(via @Eurohoopsnet, Eurokinissi) pic.twitter.com/iPzZvPRXjc
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 2, 2024
“This is the playoffs. Everybody is into it. It’s amazing. I’m glad to watch. I’m glad to be around it. And just hang out with the family,” he explained. “For sure. Playoffs brings the atmosphere out. But this is on another level. So passionate about their team. It’s just non-stop energy all the time. It’s kind of exhilarating to be around them. Happy to be here, happy to watch and happy to hang out with the guys.”
He was then asked to further express his thoughts on the level of competition itself, not just the passionate audience. “The basketball is great. Every possession counts. The harder team wins. Barcelona missed a lot of shots but then Olympiacos was just capitalizing on every single missed shot and every single turnover. I can’t wait to go watch Game 5 on TV. The series has been great,” he assured.
When expressing his admiration for a certain player, he needed the interviewer’s help to remember his name. “I forget his name… the one who hit all the shots. The leftie,” Brooks said. He was talking about that Kostas Papanikolaou, the captain.
The interviewer explained that he was not only a former Rockets players, but had also missed all the previous games due to injury. “Really? That’s crazy. I didn’t even know that. I know about Isaiah Canaan, I played against him a couple of times. He[Papanikolaou] came in and gave good energy, hit a lot of threes. Changed the game,” he recalled.
Brooks is a month away from joining the Canadian team’s camp ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics
After the NBA and EuroLeague playoffs, we are all prepared for a long and competitive summer. As it is celebrated every four years, we are close to witnessing another Summer Olympic Games in Paris this July, and Dillon Brooks’ Canadian national squad has qualified for the first time in decades.
When attending the Olympiacos-Barcelona match this weekend, the 28-year-old was also asked about his expectations for the international competition this summer.
“We all think the goal and that’s to win the gold. We like to pull our end. We have a lot of guys playing right now. We’re not going to lose a step. We’re going together after another a season under our belt. Add a couple of players and do the thing again,” he explained.
The Rockets guard was part of the team that beat the United States roster for the bronze medal in last year’s FIBA World Cup in Asia. This was the first time that the American squad didn’t earn a medal in an international basketball tournament of this calibre.
