Dillon Brooks' technical foul problem has reached a new level. The Suns forward picked up his NBA-leading 14th technical on Monday during the Phoenix Suns' win over the Brooklyn Nets. He's now two technicals away from a one-game suspension.
Brooks' latest technical came with the Suns leading the Nets 121-114 with 3:28 remaining. He had words for official Mitchell Ervin after being called for a foul while defending Michael Porter Jr.
When asked about the exchange postgame, Brooks called out Ervin, saying the technical felt “personal.”
“You've got to ask Mitch that… It looks personal on his end. That's all I gotta say,” he told reporters.
Brooks was suspended in April of last season after picking up his 16th technical. He received 31 technical fouls during his two seasons with the Houston Rockets.
The 30-year-old has become a pivotal piece to the Suns' resurgence this season, averaging a career-high 20.9 points per game. He posted 27 points while draining six threes before picking up his technical on Monday.
Dillon Brooks picks up NBA-leading 14th technical foul during win over Nets
Brooks' 14 technicals, not even halfway through the season, have raised concerns about a looming suspension. The veteran is known for playing with an edge that has made him highly successful throughout his nine-year career.
His teammates feel his reputation has made him a target for technical fouls.
“I think he'll tighten up, but at the same time, I'm here to defend him and say he shouldn't be getting them. I'm sitting there listening to the conversations that he has with the refs sometimes, and I've heard a lot worse from a lot more people. We have to look into it. It's a reputation thing, and it has to be figured out,” Devin Booker told The Arizona Republic's Duane Rankin.
Devin Booker on Dillon Brooks after 14th tech in Suns win over Nets (16th one-game suspension): "I think he'll tighten up, but at the same time, I'm here to defend him and say he shouldn't be getting them. I'm sitting there listening to the conversations that he has with the refs… pic.twitter.com/Z40qSGxGHX
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) January 20, 2026
Suns head coach Joran Ott didn't see the exchange between Brooks and Ervin, but said it was “tough” to see the forward pick up a technical at that point in the game.
“The tough part is that it's that late in the game,” Ott said. “I'm not sure exactly what was said. I didn't know really what was going on. So just tough at that part of the game. We want him on the edge, but not to go over. We want him in the game. We know the numbers. He knows the numbers. It affects us. So yeah, we'll see what happens.”
