NBA player Dillon Brooks is now the ‘major sponsor’ of his old Toronto high school team | CBC News

Basketball has taken Dillon Brooks a long way from his Mississauga home — from college in Oregon to his professional debut in Memphis, to this year’s Paris Olympics and the start of a new NBA season in Houston.

But he hasn’t forgotten the Toronto program that gave him his start.

This season, Brooks has become the major sponsor of the Father Henry Carr Catholic Secondary School (FHC) senior boys’ basketball program — the same program he helped lead to three undefeated seasons from 2010 to 2013, according to a Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) news release.

The NBA small forward is donating money to help the team travel to U.S. tournaments, the release said, and to provide a full Nike sponsorship to outfit the team on and off the court. 

“We want to thank Dillon for allowing us to help wonderful young students like himself achieve their dreams,” the release said. Brooks was “intense, energetic and loved to compete” during his time with FHC, it added.

After secondary school, Brooks played four years at Oregon University on a fully-paid scholarship, being named to the Pacific-12 Conference All-Freshman team and leading the team to the NCAA tournament Final Four in 2017.

That same year, Brooks made his NBA debut with the Memphis Grizzlies. Now with Houston, Brooks is starting his eighth professional season.

He led Canada to the quarter finals at the Paris Olympics this summer, one year after he led the team to a bronze medal over the United States at the 2023 International Basketball Federation World Cup.

FHC is located in Rexdale, a neighborhood in northwest Toronto.