Brooks Eyes Rockets Clash With Durant Feud
Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks says he is ready for the matchup against his former team and Kevin Durant after a social media exchange.
Updated on Nov. 7, 2026 in Basketball
Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks is facing his former team, the Houston Rockets, and Kevin Durant. The matchup follows a social media exchange in which Durant criticized Suns owner Mat Ishbia, and Brooks responded with an Instagram story.
Why it matters
The game puts a public disagreement between a current Suns player and a former teammate on the court, with both sides pointing to the team's early-season struggles. Brooks said he would not lay down for a player speaking on his name about something that happened to him.
The Suns are 2-5 and the Rockets are 7-2 entering the game. Durant, listed as 36 in his post, was part of the package Phoenix acquired from Houston last summer in exchange for Brooks.
The players
Dillon Brooks
Phoenix Suns forward who previously played for the Houston Rockets and was part of the trade that sent Kevin Durant to Phoenix.
Kevin Durant
Veteran NBA forward who was traded from Phoenix to Houston and who publicly criticized Suns owner Mat Ishbia on social media.
Mat Ishbia
Owner of the Phoenix Suns who said in a CNBC interview that he threw money at the problem when trading for Durant.
The details
Durant posted on X about Suns owner Mat Ishbia after Ishbia said in a CNBC interview that he threw money at the problem when trading for Durant. Brooks responded with an Instagram story thanking Ishbia for cleaning up the locker room before Brooks arrived.
Timeline
Summer 2025: Phoenix acquired Brooks from Houston in exchange for Durant.
March 2026: Brooks was arrested on suspicion of DUI.
October 2026: Durant called out Ishbia on X.
November 7, 2026: Suns face Rockets; Brooks's comments were published.
Big Picture
The public feud follows the summer 2025 trade that sent Kevin Durant from Phoenix to Houston, with Dillon Brooks arriving in Phoenix as part of the return. The Suns are now 2-5 while the Rockets are 7-2, adding competitive stakes to the personal tension.
The game is a direct test of the Suns' early-season form against a Rockets team off to a 7-2 start. Fantasy managers tracking Brooks and Durant will see the matchup's stakes shaped by both players' recent comments.
The takeaway
Public comments between former teammates can carry real competitive weight once they share a court again. Watch how both sides perform after the exchange played out in public.
Further reading
For more on the Suns' season, see Basketball coverage of Phoenix.
