Dillon Brooks At It Again: John Collins Grabs Suns Star’s Throat In Retaliation

Dillon Brooks incited an incident by repeatedly fouling John Collins on a rebound in a preseason game.

Dillon Brooks At It Again: John Collins Grabs Suns Star’s Throat In Retaliation

John Collins choking Dillon Brooks (Image credits - Basket USA)

Dillon Brooks is coming off an impressive debut campaign with the Phoenix Suns. In fact, it was the first time in his career he broke the 20-point-per-game mark in a single season.

He was traded to the Suns via a seven-team trade that sent Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets. With many predicting the Suns to be a lottery team after hitting the reset button, they surprised the NBA world with their performances last season.

Brooks played an instrumental role in leading them to the eighth spot in a highly competitive Western Conference standings. They reached the playoffs through the Play-In Tournament and were clean swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round.

Often labeled as a “villain,” Brooks has had several heated exchanges on the court throughout his career, and last season was no different. He had multiple heated exchanges with LeBron James, and the two have created a rivalry of their own over the past few years.

Brooks is well known for being an instigator and for his mind games. With their first preseason game underway, it did not take long for the Canadian international to get into his first scuffle of the 2026-27 season.

Just five minutes into the preseason game against the Detroit Pistons, Brooks got under the skin of John Collins. He repeatedly fouled Collins on a rebound, and the Pistons star responded by turning around and grabbing Brooks’ throat. The whole incident turned into a scuffle as teammates jumped in to separate the two.

Even though it was just a preseason game, the stakes couldn’t have been lower. But Brooks still managed to get under his opponent’s skin.

RELATED
News of LeBron James Suffering From ‘Chronic Arthritis’ Draws Flak On Social Media – “Already With The Excuses”

Fans react to Dillon Brooks and John Collins getting into a heated preseason scuffle

The heated exchange was not something John Collins would have envisioned in his first game for the Pistons. Collins came off a difficult 2025-26 campaign with the Los Angeles Clippers and joined the Pistons via a sign-and-trade this offseason.

After the scuffle, fans quickly reacted across social media.

NBA fans pointed out that Brooks is already showcasing his “villain” persona, even during the preseason. While it was unnecessary given the stakes, many expect to see many more incidents like this from Brooks once the season gets underway later this month.

John Collins addressed his scuffle with Dillon Brooks

Dillon Brooks did a fine job in riling up Collins. The Suns forward was seen smiling when Collins grabbed his throat in a chokehold. Collins received a flagrant 1 foul after everything settled down. The moment immediately caught the attention of a Little Caesars Arena crowd that had yet to see him play in a Pistons jersey.

Dillon Brooks fouling John Collins
Dillon Brooks fouling John Collins (Image credits – The New York Times)

After the game, Collins weighed in on the incident with Brooks.

Wasn’t necessarily trying to set that tone, but I’m glad I did. Just sometimes you have to play basketball and get physical. I’m going to go out there and compete every night. Guys do what they have to do.

John Collins during his media scrum

It looks like Brooks is back to what he does best. It will be interesting to see which players he will instigate next season. He may even showcase a few new moves he learned during his Martial Arts training in the summer. He also led the league in technical fouls last season with 17.

Also Read: