Houston Rockets wing Dillon Brooks continues to embrace his villain role.

Brooks helped Team Canada defeat Team USA 127-118 in overtime in the FIBA World Cup bronze medal match. He notably scored 39 points during the game, shooting 12-for-18 from the field and 7-for-8 from the three-point line in addition to posting four rebounds and five assists.

In the process, he became the Canadian with the most points in a single game at the FIBA World Cup with no player scoring more in a medal-winning game as well.

Naturally, many were not pleased with the result.

It's one thing for Team USA to lose in any basketball competition, but it's another when it's against Canada with Brooks — arguably the biggest villain in the NBA today — being the main star.

The Canadian was notably asked how it felt to play the villain to which he chuckled and paid homage to the late great Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.

“It is a persona, people love it,” Brooks was quoted as saying (via Esfandiar Baraheni). “It's a lot like Kobe, RIP to Kobe, but he had to create the Black Mamba, so I guess that's my persona, the villain.

“… But I'm a loving, caring guy who loves my kids, loves my family, my teammates.”

Although a very talented Canada team would have liked to have won the competition, Dillon Brooks, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and company still made history in Manila as their third-place finish at the FIBA World Cup is their first-ever podium appearance for the men's squad.