The Warriors and the Suns clash tonight at the Chase Center, where Devin Booker will lead his side against Stephen Curry and the other veterans. Before the game, during the shootaround, Booker spoke to the media in their courtside scrum and said that he feels he has the same place in Phoenix that Stephen Curry does in San Francisco.
“You know it because there aren’t many,” Booker said. “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.”
“It’s a lot of pride. It’s a lot of responsibility. It’s something that I try to communicate to the young guys. Having those couple of deep playoff runs, and just getting the city to become electric, is a feeling that I’m chasing, want to get back to.”
“I was adopted as an 18-year-old coming in,” Booker said when talking about 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.”
“I don’t think he’s going anywhere, and I don’t think I am either,” said Booker when addressing whether he thinks either he or Curry will ever leave their respective cities.
In their head-to-head records, Booker is currently losing 10-15 to Curry in all-time regular season games. The Warriors veteran has averaged 26.7 points, 5.6 assists, and 5.3 rebounds while shooting 40.8% from the three-point line. Meanwhile, the Suns guard has averaged 22.9 points, 5.8 assists, and 3.5 rebounds while shooting 32.6% from beyond the arc.
Booker is currently in his 11th season with the Phoenix Suns, while Curry is in his 17th season with the Golden State Warriors. There are only a few names in the league that can flex this type of loyalty they have had to a franchise.
“The ones I think of off the top of my head: Tim Duncan, Dirk (Nowitzki), Kobe (Bryant),” Booker said while recalling other legends who have built a similar status with their respective cities.
“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.”
Another such rare player in the league right now could be Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee or Nikola Jokic in Denver. These cities hold their loyal superstars to the highest regard in the community and deservedly so.
