Remember when Devin Booker dropped 70 points against the Boston Celtics and it felt a little absurd? Well, that doesn't seem so surprising anymore, as the Phoenix Suns guard has truly grown into a bonafide superstar. Apparently, that surreal 70-piece special was just a foreshadowing of things to come.
Now in his seventh season, Booker has fully embraced his responsibility as the cornerstone of the Suns. But while the 25-year-old acknowledged the milestones they achieved this season, he told The Undefeated's Marc J. Spears that he's more hellbent on winning his first NBA title.
“Regular season is fun and dandy, especially with the winning record we have, breaking a franchise record this season. Especially from what I’ve seen. I’ve been at the bottom of the league. Flipping that, being at the top, that is what I am focused on.”
He has always been about winning, but the Suns flamethrower revealed a specific moment this season when he truly realized that he has a legacy to carry.
“The thing for me is the legacy stuff. Being at halftime of the (2022) All-Star Game and watching the Top 75 (players of all time) come out and the reading of their names. Like, ‘Five-time All-NBA. Six-time All-NBA.’ I don’t want to lose that. I think about legacy sometimes also. And if I earned it, I think I deserved it.”
Booker was back in his All-Star form in the Suns' victory over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of their second round series in the NBA Playoffs, finishing with a near triple-double.
Naturally, he will carry the same competitive edge in Game 2 this Wednesday.