Dillon Brooks Flagrant — Gary Payton II Fractured Elbow

On May 3, 2022, less than three minutes into Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals (Golden State Warriors vs. Memphis Grizzlies), Dillon Brooks chased down Golden State guard Gary Payton II and struck him in midair on a defensive play. The play resulted in Payton leaving with what was later diagnosed as a fractured left elbow; Brooks was assessed a Flagrant-2 and was ejected from the game [1]. Immediate public reaction included Warriors coach Steve Kerr saying, "He broke the code. Dillon Brooks broke the code." [1]. The NBA reviewed the play and on May 5, 2022 announced a one-game suspension for Brooks, stating, "Brooks has been suspended one game without pay for having made unnecessary and excessive contact against Golden State Warriors guard Gary Payton II, resulting in substantial injury to Payton" [2]. Gary Payton II later wrote that Brooks approached him in person after the series to apologize and that Payton accepted the apology: "After we closed out Game 6, I got word that he wanted to talk outside the locker room, and when I got there he apologized... He told me he didn’t mean to hurt me. I believe him" [6]. Warriors players reacted emotionally in the immediate aftermath of the play; coverage noted visible gestures and strong language from Warriors personnel as the incident became a headline of the series [1]. The combination of an in-game injury, a Flagrant-2 ejection, a public coach condemnation and a league suspension made the sequence a focal point for subsequent meetings between the teams [1][2][6].

The May 3, 2022 chase-down hit matters because it produced both a documented injury (Gary Payton II's fractured left elbow) and formal league discipline (Brooks' Flagrant-2 ejection and one-game suspension), creating a concrete grievance for Warriors players and staff [1][2]. Steve Kerr's comment that "He broke the code" framed the play as a violation of an unwritten player standard and put the incident into a wider narrative about respect and retaliation on court [1]. The episode established a baseline grievance that recurred in later regular-season meetings and in media exchanges, converting a single on-court play into a sustained adversarial thread between the players and teams [1][5][3].

Immediately after the play the NBA reviewed the hit and suspended Brooks for one game without pay, citing "unnecessary and excessive contact" that resulted in substantial injury to Payton [2]. Gary Payton II publicly stated that Brooks apologized in person after the series and that Payton accepted the apology, documenting a private effort at resolution separate from public criticism [6]. Despite the apology to Payton, subsequent Warriors–Grizzlies games included chippier play and technical fouls (notably Dec. 25, 2022), and the dispute later surfaced in media interviews and podcast exchanges between Brooks and Draymond Green in March 2023, showing the incident did not settle the broader antagonism [5][3][4].