This season, Devin averaged 25.6 points on 48.4% shooting, helping lead the Suns to the second-best record in the Western Conference at 51-21.įor more up-to-date news on all things NBA, click here to register for alerts on the FOX Sports app! He has drawn comparisons to former Los Angeles Lakers great Kobe Bryant because of his explosiveness and ability to take over games by effortlessly creating his own shot. Every offseason, he works out with his father, tweaking his game to become the deadliest version of himself. He's a shooting guard who can make 3s, he has a silky midrange jumper, and he's not afraid to drive and mix things up down low. I know it when I see it."ĭevin, now 24, has turned into a weapon from pretty much everywhere on the court. Those experiences and that knowledge is hard to quantify. "When he got to the league, he was able to have success because of the preparation and foundation that Melvin laid in his life as a basketball player, as a man, teaching him discipline, structure, what an NBA day looks like, what a college day looks like. "He's had the cheat code because of his dad," Williams said. Not only was his game smooth and effortless, but his attitude was also distinctly different from those of most other players in their early 20s. When Monty Williams took the head-coaching job with the Suns in 2019, he immediately noticed Booker was mature beyond his years, physically and mentally. He then helped lead the 2014-15 Kentucky Wildcats to a 38-1 record and the Final Four before being selected by the Suns as the 13th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. As a senior at Moss Point, he averaged 32.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. "My passion for the game, his passion for the game, we just got on the court, and that's one of the best feelings in the world."ĭevin's skills flourished. "It was a way for us to bond and make up for lost time," Melvin said. Devin was getting professional coaching as a teenager from someone he loved. Melvin was training his favorite player in the world. (Photo by Pavlos Makridis/Euroleague Basketball/Getty Images)įather and son cherished their time together. Booker played in four international finals, but lost all four. Melvin Booker, left, plays in a Euroleague Basketball playoff game in Greece in 2007. So it just makes you want to be better every day." Somebody that is telling the truth out of the goodness of their heart to see you succeed, you can feel that. I never had the truth told to me at all times. "So I was always good, but he made me take it the extra mile. "I always had love for the game of basketball, I was always a student of the game, but I wasn't aware of the work that goes into it," Devin said. Melvin convinced them that Devin should move to Mississippi as a sophomore to attend his father's former high school, Moss Point, while Melvin helped turn Devin into a great player. Melvin and Devin's mother, Victoria Gutierrez, were never married, and she and Devin lived in Michigan. When Devin was 14, Melvin says he turned down a two-year offer to play in Italy because he wanted to help his son reach the next level. Melvin eventually decided he needed to intervene and train him. I knew then, for a kid to be 11 or 12 years old and understand that, I was like, this kid understands basketball."ĭevin was always incredibly smart. He understood the importance of what Chauncey would bring to a team. "He didn't go for the flashy game," Melvin said. But Melvin didn't realize just how unique his son was until Devin, as a preteen in 2008, became wildly upset when the Detroit Pistons traded Chauncey Billups to the Denver Nuggets as part of a deal to acquire Allen Iverson, one of the biggest superstars in the league at the time.
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