He played college basketball for the Oregon Ducks, where he was named a consensus second-team All-American and earned conference player of the year honors in the Pac-12 in 2017.

In 2023, Brooks was named the FIBA World Cup Best Defensive Player after helping the Canada national team to bronze.

Brooks, a small forward from Mississauga, Ontario, went to the University of Oregon after playing at Father Henry Carr Catholic Secondary School in Toronto and Findlay Prep in Henderson, Nevada.

[18] On May 23, 2021, Brooks made his NBA playoff debut, scoring a season-high 31 points, along with seven rebounds, to help the Grizzlies to a 112–109 Game 1 victory over the top-seeded Utah Jazz.

[27] On February 2, 2023, Brooks was assessed a flagrant 2 foul and ejected for punching Cleveland Cavaliers player Donovan Mitchell in the groin.

[30][non-primary source needed] On March 17, Brooks was fined $35,000 by the NBA after he shoved a cameraman to the floor during a game two days earlier against the Miami Heat.

[32][non-primary source needed] At the end of the season, Brooks was named for the first time to the NBA All-Defensive Second team.

[33] During Memphis' 2023 NBA playoffs series against the Los Angeles Lakers, Brooks openly criticized his opponent LeBron James for being "old", drawing scrutiny.

[41] On January 27, 2025, Brooks put up a career-high and Rockets franchise-record ten three-pointers en route to 36 points in a 114–112 win over the Boston Celtics.

[2] On May 24, 2022, Brooks was one of fourteen players to agree to a three-year commitment to play with the Canadian senior men's national team, aiming to break a decades-long trend of failing to qualify for the Olympic basketball tournament.

[44] This was a single-game scoring record for a Canadian player at the World Cup, surpassing Carl Ridd's previous high of 37 at the 1954 edition.