Dillon Brooks saved his best game for last at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, leading Canada to a historic 127-118 win over Team USA in Manila, Philippines.
Brooks was met with boos from the crowd when he arrived at the World Cup and left with MVP chants, as he poured in 39 points to lead Canada to victory in overtime, as Team USA struggled to contain his lights-out shooting from beyond the arc.
Not only did Canada's win earn them their first-ever medal at a FIBA Basketball World Cup and their best-ever finish at the tournament, but Brooks' performance also re-wrote the record books.
Let's take a deeper dive into Brooks' record-breaking performance.
MORE: The best highlights Canada's third-place win over USA
Dillon Brooks stats vs Team USA
Brooks started off by scoring Canada's first five points of the game and capped things off by scoring five of their 16 points in overtime, serving as the team's leading offensive threat wire-to-wire.
Brooks recorded a tournament-high 39 points to go along with five assists, four rebounds, two blocks and a steal. His big night came on an efficient 12-of-18 shooting from the field, 7-of-8 from the 3-point line and 8-of-10 at the free throw line.
His 39 points also put his name in the Canadian basketball record rooks, eclipsing Carl Ridd's record for the most points scored by a Canadian in a FIBA World Cup game.
Ridd's record stood for 69 years, scoring 37 points against the Phillippines in 1954.
39 points for Dillon Brooks.
— Canada Basketball (@CanBball) September 10, 2023
He has surpassed Carl Ridd's near 70-year record for the most points a single game by a Canadian at the FIBA Men's Basketball World Cup, which was set back in 1954.
Truly a performance for the ages.#FIBAWC | #WinForCanada | #OneTeam pic.twitter.com/Pg28IgGJr0
Brooks' lights-out shooting from the 3-point line put his name alongside Kevin Durant as the only other player to hit seven 3-pointers in a medal game. Durant achieved the feat in the final of the 2010 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
In securing Canada's first-ever win over Team USA in FIBA Basketball World Cup history, Brooks also holds the record for most points scored in a medal-winning game.
FIBA Basketball World Cup single-game points records
Brooks' 39 points are tied with Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (vs. USA) and Karl-Anthony Towns (vs. Puerto Rico) for the highest-scoring performance at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Fun Fact: Dirk Nowitzki is the only player in the last 18 years to score more points (47) in a single World Cup game today than Dillon Brooks (39) pic.twitter.com/j4LM7mAYXj
— StatMuse (@statmuse) September 10, 2023
His bronze medal heroics also have him tied for the 11th-highest single-game performance in FIBA Basketball World Cup history.
| Rank | Player | Points | Year |
| 1. | Hur Jae, South Korea | 54 | 1990 |
| 2. | Nikos Galis, Greece | 53 | 1986 |
| 3. | Oscar Schmidt, Brazil | 52 | 1990 |
| 4. | Jordi Villacampa, Spain | 48 | 1990 |
| 5. | Dirk Nowitzki, Germany | 47 | 2006 |
| Drazen Petrovic, Yugoslavia | 47 | 1986 | |
| 7. | Lee Chung-Hee, South Korea | 45 | 1986 |
| 8. | Kamil Brabenec, Czech Republic | 44 | 1978 |
| 9. | Ricardo Duarte, Peru | 43 | 1963 |
| Arturo Guererro, Mexico | 42 | 1974 | |
| 11. | Dillon Brooks, Canada | 39 | 2023 |
| Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Jordan | 39 | 2023 | |
| Karl-Anthony Towns, Dominican Republic | 39 | 2023 |