Dillon Brooks Makes Bold Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Claim in New Video, 'I Had His Number'

Phoenix Suns star Dillon Brooks feels his team's first-round sweep by the Oklahoma City Thunder might have been the start of a new rivalry between him and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Brooks said in a Thursday episode of NBA 2K League that he's hoping to take on Gilgeous-Alexander again next season.

"A little rivalry brewing up. I live for those," Brooks said around the 4:40 mark of the podcast. "If we get them again this year, it's definitely going to be Shai.

"Before he got to this level— because he's one of the greatest in the game right now— I had his number."

This isn't the first time Brooks has professed to have the "number" of one of the NBA's top players. He made a similar comment about San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama in February.

"I have his number. Go check that up, and he knows it too," Brooks told streamer N3on in February. "That's the one guy in the NBA that I have his number and everybody is taking that blueprint at guarding him."

Brooks and Gilgeous-Alexander traded jabs during and after the Thunder's first-round sweep of the Thunder this April.

The two Team Canada teammates still shared an embrace after the Thunder's Game 4 and have since competed on the same team as Canada works to qualify for the 2027 FIBA World Cup.

Brooks said on Thursday's podcast appearance his matchups against Gilgeous-Alexander took place when Brooks was playing for the Memphis Grizzlies.

"We can go to the stats," Brooks said on Thursday's podcast. "Memphis... that's when the foul bait wasn't a real thing. Those times I can get away with the get-out-the-way type s--t."

He also said he expected not his longstanding feud with LeBron James but his matchups against Wembanyama to become another rivalry to watch going forward.

"You're going to start seeing that I'm going to get more agitated with him," Brooks said about Wembanyama.

Wembanyama and Brooks never met up last season. Wembanyama put up 23 points in 20 minutes through three games against Brooks the season prior.

Brooks and Gilgeous-Alexander will meet again as regular-season opponents when the Suns travel to Oklahoma City for their first road game of the season this Monday. He will get his first chance to play Wembanyama when the Spurs come to Phoenix Nov. 9.