Suns’ Dillon Brooks wants officials to take ‘communication class’ after overturned technical foul

PHOENIX – belongs to a reputation unlike any other – for better or for worse Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks and NBA officials.

It seemed that the latter follow Brooks for any contact it crosses the threshold of what is considered ‘unnecessary’ during Tuesday’s 106-102 win over the Brooklyn Nets.

His first technical foul came in the second quarter with 27 seconds left against Nets rookie Egor Demin. The two went for a loose ball and got tangled up. Brooks then tried to take Demin off him, which resulted in a technical foul.

In the previous quarter, he was going for a loose ball when he inadvertently hit Nick Claxton in the groin. It looked accidental and nothing terrible, but the officials called it.

Although they considered the play unnecessary, he wanted an explanation, but he didn’t get it. He felt that official Curtis Blair had done it to him.

In the locker room after the game, Brooks mentioned that the technical foul would be overturned, and it was. However, it represents interesting question: Can the dialogue between players and officials be improved?

“It’s great if you’re an All-Star. But when you’re not an All-Star, you get the bottom of the barrel,” Brooks said when asked about how that relationship grows.

“They might have to take a communication class or something to help them talk to the players and get to know them as much as we do.”

I asked Dillon Brooks how he sees the dialogue between players and officials improving.

“It’s great if you’re an all-star. But when you’re not an all-star, you get the bottom of the barrel. Maybe they’ll have to take a communication class or something to help them out… pic.twitter.com/boAdKSR3ZiV

— Hayden Cilley (@HaidenCilley) January 28, 2026

Dillon Brooks of the Suns has the reputation officials are looking for

Yes, Brooks isn’t the friendliest player on the court, and he’ll be the first to tell you that. But he doesn’t actively look for ways to hurt or intentionally hurt people.

But his reputation doesn’t make things better for him. After all, he is nicknamed “The Villain” and he plays in that persona.

From the officials’ perspective, they know the antics and how quickly a game can escalate. The lack of detail and clarity specific mistakes should be investigated, especially after Arizona Sports reporter Kellan Olson was the pool reporter with the officials.

It’s easy to see why is brooks frustratedbut he is in murky waters.

Despite the technical being overturned, two more and he faces a one-game suspension. Another flagrant offense and he’s serving a one-game suspension.

With Devin Booker and Jalen Green down, the Suns need all the firepower they can get. Plus, Brooks is one of the clear swing changers on the team.

He will put himself on the line for the betterment of Phoenix. Even if it sometimes means sacrificing himself to be on the receiving end of the official.

A study may need to be done on how many more technical fouls Brooks will overturn. That may not be a concern for now, but this exchange paints a much bigger picture.

Improved and constructive conversations between players and officials are necessary to prevent the creation of an unjustified reputation based on how someone plays.