Celebrating Devin Booker’s career and legacy on his 30th birthday

Happy Birthday, Devin Booker! Friday marks his 30th trip around the Sun. For most of the last 12 years, the Suns have been rotating around him. Fans have shared the rise, endured frustrating times together, enjoyed unbelievable moments, and lived an NBA Finals run. That run was SO close, up 2 games to nil for a title.

Phoenicians have enjoyed him as a pillar in the community and a true face of the franchise. Nearly every true Suns fan at some point has closed their eyes and pictured him hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy with purple and orange confetti falling from the rafters. We want this for him. For us.

Advertisement

In recent years, frustration murmurs have grown louder, with playoff losses and stretches where his level of play disappoints. I’m unashamedly a superfan, wearing his shoes and other name-branded sportswear. Yet I found myself coming down hard in my game recap after the most recent game. Our relationship with sports stars, much like family or friends, can get complicated. In this article, I’ll focus mostly on what he’s accomplished in those 30 years, with a peek into his role now and in the years to come.

Devin Armani Booker was born October 30, 1996. With DNA and motivation from his dad, a former All-Big 8 player, he quickly ascended as a youth player. At 15, he attended (and got quite a bit of attention) at LeBron James’ youth camp.

From there, he became a freshman 6th man on a 38-1 University of Kentucky team that included nine future NBA players headlined by Karl Anthony Towns. Then Suns GM Ryan McDonough selected him 13th in the 2015 NBA draft. It didn’t take long for him to make a name in the NBA, scoring 13.8 points per game as an 18-year-old rookie. The roster was thin during those first few seasons, but kept developing and improving. As a 20-year-old, he dropped 70 on the Celtics.

Those first four seasons all included 58 or more losses. Devin infused hope with his scoring (by then up to over 26 points a night) and basketball skills. With the arrival of a veteran point guard (Rickey Rubio) and a motivational coach (Monty Williams), and several promising young players, the COVID season…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/celebrating-devin-booker-career-legacy-120000506.html

Author :

Publish date : 2026-10-30 12:00:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.