“We want the gold” – Dillon Brooks has his eyes set on toppling Team USA in the Paris Olympics

Houston Rockets guard Dillon Brooks has never lacked confidence. In fact, his confidence, which borders on cockiness, has been a defining characteristic of his basketball career. But now, the Canadian-born player has set his sights on an even bigger goal – winning gold at the Paris Olympics.

Canada, the underdog in this scenario, must eventually overcome a Team USA squad that features some of the NBA’s greatest players: LeBron James, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant. However, despite the daunting task, Brooks and his team still believe they have what it takes to topple Team USA and come away with the gold in Paris.

Beat Team USA before

Dillon, a renowned defensive pest in the NBA, has every reason to believe they can beat the American team. After all, it wasn’t too long ago that they did just that in the 2023 FIBA World Cup in Manila, Philippines. This victory, even though Team USA didn’t bring their big guns, was a significant achievement for Canada. Their 127-118 overtime victory secured them the bronze medal and denied the Americans a podium finish.

Making that victory sweeter for Brooks was that he unloaded a whopping 39 points on Team USA’s defense in that game. These things, along with the presence of proven superstars like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jamal Murray on Canada’s roster, fuel Dillon’s belief that they can defeat this formidable American squad.

“The belief was always there; we just had to put it together. Now we’ve got a lot of players that are committed, willing to build this every single summer to get better and better and build chemistry and build camaraderie,” the 2023 All-Defense team member told The Athletic.

Although Canada’s roster looks nothing like Team USA's All-Star-laden roster, it still features several NBA standouts, such as RJ Barrett, Lu Dort, Trey Lyles, Andrew Nembhard, and Kelly Olynyk. In the knockout format the Olympics use in the tournament’s latter stages, Brooks believes Canada is capable of winning gold.

“Our time was last year. And now (it’s) our time for this year. But instead of getting bronze, we want the gold,” the 6-foot-6 wingman boldly asserted.

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First shot at Team USA

Brooks and the rest of his Canadian team get their first shot at Team USA on Wednesday when they square off in an exhibition game. The former Oregon Duck sees this game as an opportunity to show the world what they can do, and what better way to do it than at the Americans’ expense.

“I take it as another game, but me being who I am, I like to make a statement,” Dillon uttered. “So I’ll be ready to play. Team Canada will be ready to play, and we’re gonna go balls to the wall and watch the film after and see if we got better.”

With the Olympics only a few weeks away, this game should benefit both teams, allowing them to work out any kinks and fine-tune their strategies and rotations. For Canada, this game would give them an opportunity to see where they stack up against the team that is the odds-on favorite to win the Olympic gold medal.

In addition to Bron, Steph, and KD, Team USA also has 2023 NBA MVP Joel Embiid, Anthony Davis, Jrue Holiday, Jayson Tatum, Bam Adebayo, Devin Booker, Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Edwards, and Tyrese Haliburton.

Brooks said he’s glad Team USA is bringing its best players, as it would give his team a fair grasp of where they stand against the world’s best at this point.

“You know, I’m happy that they’re playing because, you know, we get to test our talents against theirs. And you know, it should be a fun one,” Brooks shared.

Given Dillon’s history with the likes of LeBron and Steph, this exhibition game should be nothing short of exciting for fans and players alike.

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