Carlos Boozer had a long and successful 13-year NBA career, but his son, Cameron, might turn out to be even better than him. Cameron, who is starring for Duke, is in the running to be the first pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, and during an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show, Carlos was asked when his son became better than him.
“That’s a good question,” Carlos said. “I would probably say right around 16, 17. I stopped playing the kids one-on-one. I wanted to retire undefeated. I got that goal in mind.
“But as a dad, think about this, though,” Carlos continued. “… Your dad is the only person that wants their sons to be better than them. Every other man wants to be better than the next man. So, I’m proud of my kids for being better than me and having more skills and being able to do more with that basketball than I could.”
That is indeed true. Carlos, who made two All-Star teams in the NBA, is the only man in this world today who wants Cameron and his fraternal twin, Cayden, to be better than him. He is extremely proud of the two of them, and it’s great for them to have a figure like him around.
Cameron and Cayden had attended Christopher Columbus High School and then chose to follow in Carlos’ footsteps by heading to Duke. The 44-year-old made it clear here that he played no role whatsoever in their decision.
“I stayed out of it,” Boozer stated. “I told the boys, and I told their mom, I was like, ‘I don’t want colleges recruiting dad. I’m not going to be the one that’s going to be there at 6:00 a.m. for workouts. I’m not going to be there at 2:00 in the morning, crashing for an exam.’ They have to recruit the boys. And the boys have to make that decision for themselves to see if they want to go to that school.
“They like that coach, they like the team and how their makeup is,” Boozer continued. “Do they have a chance to win a championship? All those kind of things. So, I didn’t go to any of the recruiting visits. I got all the notes from the boys when they got back. Got the notes from mom when they got back, and literally let the boys make their own decision.”
Carlos also revealed that he and their mother, Cindy “CeCe” Nichole Blackwell, would have been perfectly fine with Cameron and Cayden going to different colleges. They ultimately decided they wanted to be together for one reason.
“They made the choice together to stay together ’cause it was going to be the last time that they got to choose to play together,” Boozer said. “Obviously, the NBA, you never know what’s going to happen down the road. God willing, they get to play together in the NBA, but thinking that this year could be the last year that they actually play together was something that we all had in mind.”
It would be quite special if Cameron and Cayden are able to win a championship together in what is likely to be their final year as teammates. They helped Duke post a 32-2 record in 2025-26, and the Blue Devils are the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament.
Cameron has been the star of the show, averaging 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game. We had him going third in our mock draft for 2026, and he almost certainly will be a top-three pick.
As for Cayden, he is averaging 7.1 points, 2.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game. It remains to be seen what decision he makes come the end of the season.
