Dillon Brooks has always been easy to root against. Now, he’s finally easy to root for again (for some, at least).

The Phoenix Suns rewarded Brooks with a three-year, $73 million contract extension this week, putting an exclamation point on what has been one of the NBA’s more fascinating career arcs. It has been a journey of rise, fall, and rise again for one of the league’s most polarizing players.

Brooks was once the heartbeat of the Memphis Grizzlies’ emergence in the early 2020s. Alongside Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr., he helped transform the Grizzlies from rebuilding franchise into legitimate contender. His relentless defense, fearless shot-making, and unapologetic swagger made him a fan favorite in Memphis, even if opposing fan bases couldn’t stand him.

Then it all unraveled.

An underwhelming 2023 postseason, topped off by their first-round upset loss to the 7th-seeded Los Angeles Lakers, soured his stock. Memphis moved on from him in free agency, ending a tenure that had once looked destined to last much longer.

Brooks landed with the Houston Rockets, where he rebuilt his value as a veteran defender and tone setter. Just when he was getting that flow back, though, Houston included him in the blockbuster trade that sent Kevin Durant to the Rockets in 2025.

At first glance, Brooks looked like little more than a supporting piece in the deal. Instead, he became one of Phoenix’s most important players.

The 29-year-old enjoyed the best offensive season of his career in 2025-26, averaging a career-high 20.2 points per game across 56 games. With Devin Booker and Jalen Green both missing time, Brooks embraced a larger offensive role without abandoning the gritty, physical defense that has always defined his game.

More importantly, he helped reshape the Suns’ identity.

Phoenix returned to the postseason after a rough 2024-25 campaign as Brooks’ intensity became contagious, with his leadership resonating in the locker room, and his willingness to embrace the dirty work providing a much-needed energy that had been missing.

That doesn’t mean the villain has disappeared.

Brooks will almost certainly continue getting under opponents’ skin. He’ll pick up technical fouls, exchange words with stars, and find himself at the center of a few controversies. That’s simply who he is.

The difference now is that his game is backing it all up.

For a player once cast aside and labeled more trouble than talent, this extension is more than a payday. It’s proof that Dillon Brooks has earned his way back into the league’s good graces, without ever changing the personality that made him “Dillon, The Villain.”