Dillon Brooks wants to extend his NBA career for as long as possible, but the Phoenix Suns forward knows he cannot take his longevity for granted.
Brooks reflected on his future and the short career window for professional basketball, emphasizing the importance of maintaining his focus after enjoying a strong 2025-26 season.
“I want to keep going. I probably only got, I want 10 more years in this, but the life expectancy of a basketball player is very small, so I don’t want to take it for granted or ease up,” Brooks said, via HoopsHype.
“That’s the most human nature thing is to have a great year like this and then ease up. You see it all the time in the NBA. So, I just want to take this momentum and keep going with it.”
Brooks, 30, is entering his 10th NBA season after establishing himself as one of the league’s most durable two-way wings.
The former Memphis Grizzlies second-round pick has played 548 regular-season games and made 521 starts throughout his career. He has averaged 14.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists while shooting 42.1% from the field and 35.3% from three-point range.
His scoring reached a new level last season after joining Phoenix. Brooks averaged a career-high 20.2 points in 56 games, all starts, while playing 30.4 minutes per night.
He shot 43.5% from the field and 34.4% from three-point range, while also averaging 3.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 steal.
Brooks had previously recorded his best scoring season in 2021-22, when he averaged 18.4 points for Memphis in 32 games. His 2025-26 campaign marked the first time in his career that he surpassed 20 points per game.
The Suns rewarded that production by signing Brooks to a three-year, $73 million extension in August, keeping him under contract through the 2029-30 season.
Phoenix is coming off a surprising 45-win campaign that earned the team a playoff berth. The Suns finished second in the Pacific Division but were swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round.
The organization responded by largely maintaining its core while adding Miles Bridges in a trade with Charlotte. Phoenix also signed Luke Kennard to bolster its shooting.
