Devin Booker always showed he was more mature than other kids his age, especially when it came to basketball. The Phoenix Suns star always thought outside the box and knew what was better for a winning team.
His father, Melvin, realized his son was special when he was 12. Unlike other kids, Booker was about winning instead of showing off and flashy plays. In a recent interview with Melissa Rohlin of Fox Sports, Mr. Booker recalled that his son didn’t like the Detroit Pistons trading Chauncey Billups to Denver in exchange for Allen Iverson, which meant he perfectly understood the game of basketball.
As a child, Devin watched NBA games in a different way than his peers, zeroing in on the nuances of what was happening on the court instead of being enamored by the eye candy of dunks and long 3-pointers.
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.
“He didn’t go for the flashy game,” Melvin said. “He went for the simple game. He understood the importance of what Chauncey would bring to a team. I knew then, for a kid to be 11 or 12 years old and understand that, I was like, this kid understands basketball.”
Curiously, Devin’s game is flashy in its own way. The 24-year-old has put up a show since he entered the league in 2015. The difference now is that he’s actually winning and leading the Suns to compete for the NBA championship.
Last season, he already showed flashes of what could happen this campaign, leading the Suns to an 8-0 record in the bubble. Unfortunately, they didn’t make it to the playoffs, but Devin teased what was coming.
It seems like he always had the right mindset. Billups was the MVP of the 2004 Finals the Pistons won against the Lakers superteam. He was traded to the Denver Nuggets four years later, raising some eyebrows around the league. Book, of course, didn’t like that. He appreciates a valuable player and has shown that this season, helping Chris Paul reach his first NBA Finals.
