Suns’ Devin Booker says playing in Phoenix for entire career is ‘something special,’ wants to stay
SAN FRANCISCO — Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker knows that when he steps into an arena at this stage of his career, he represents a lot more than just his team.
As he starts his 11th season in the NBA, the four-time All-Star knows that he has been within the organization long enough that people associate him with the Phoenix community, a public representative of a certain area of the country.
It’s the same status Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry has earned as he begins his 17th season in the league. The loyalty that both men have earned is something each takes pride in — and something that Booker recognizes as he travels throughout the league in an era where players bounce around teams more than ever.
“You know it because there’s not many,” Booker said after Tuesday’s shootaround, in advance of a game against Curry and the Warriors. “So I know he holds a special place in everybody’s heart here in the Bay. And I feel a similar type of love in Phoenix. It’s something special. It’s kind of hard to explain, but there’s a different type of love that comes with it. I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
Booker’s decision to sign a two-year contract extension worth $145 million over the summer surprised some around the league because the Suns are once again in rebuilding mode after dealing superstar forward Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets over the summer. Despite the roster uncertainty, Booker stayed true to Phoenix and embraced the idea that people associate him with the city.
“It’s a lot of pride,” Booker said. “It’s a lot of responsibility. It’s something that I try to communicate to the young guys. Having those couple deep playoff runs, and just getting the city to become electric, is a feeling that I’m chasing, want to get back to.”
Booker was originally drafted by the Suns with the 13th pick in the 2015 draft. His game has consistently improved in that time and he almost led the Suns to an NBA championship in 2021. Like Curry, he takes pride in the idea of playing for one team throughout his career.
“I was adopted as an 18-year-old coming in,” Booker said of Phoenix. “I was embraced through tough times, all the way to making a finals run. The city watched me grow up. I enjoyed growing up in the city. I’m sure Steph can say a lot of similar things about this area.”
Booker also respected the way that several other of the game’s greats have been treated through the years because of the fact that they stayed with one team all along. It echoes a lot of the same sentiments that Curry has echoed in the past.
“The ones I think of off the top of my head: Tim Duncan, Dirk (Nowitzki), Kobe (Bryant),” Booker said. “I had a chance to play against all three of them guys too, close to their last seasons, or their last season, so seeing their farewell tours and the love that they got. At that point, not only from their cities, but I think every city around the NBA also acknowledged it and showed love to the loyalty and embraced it.”
Booker said that he and Curry have never discussed what it means to each man to be able to stay in one city for so long, but one sentiment will not change. That’s how they feel about the area they represent.
“I don’t think he’s going anywhere,” Booker said of Curry. “And I don’t think I am either.”
