Devin Booker Biography: Loyalty and 70 Points — The Suns' Franchise Cornerstone Who Never Left

The date was March 24, 2017. The location was the TD Garden in Boston. A 20-year-old shooting guard named Devin Booker, playing in only his second NBA season, was about to do something that had only been done five times in the history of the league. Over the course of 45 minutes, Booker dismantled one of the best defensive teams in the NBA, scoring 70 points in a single game. He was hitting transition threes, fadeaways over double-teams, and getting to the free-throw line with the veteran savvy of a 10-year pro. When the final buzzer sounded, the Phoenix Suns had lost the game, but the basketball world had found its next superstar. Booker became the youngest player to ever score 60 or 70 points in a game, a feat that felt like a lightning bolt in the middle of a desert.

However, the 70-point game was only the beginning of a much more complex and compelling narrative. For years following that historic night, Devin Booker was labeled a "good player on a bad team." He was a "stat-padder" in the eyes of many national analysts, a player whose individual brilliance was offset by the Suns' inability to win games. But while other young stars in similar situations demanded trades or grew disgruntled, Booker did something increasingly rare in the modern NBA: he stayed. He remained loyal to the city of Phoenix through the darkest years in franchise history, a loyalty that would eventually be rewarded with a 2021 Finals run and a transformation of the Suns from a league laughingstock into a perennial contender.

Moss Point to the NBA: A Father's Blueprint

Devin Booker’s basketball journey began with a unique and disciplined foundation. He was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the son of Melvin Booker, a professional basketball player who had a brief stint in the NBA before embarking on a successful career in Europe. For the first 12 years of his life, Devin lived with his mother, Veronica Gutierrez, in Michigan, while spending summers with his father in various European cities. This early exposure to the "European style" of basketball—emphasizing fundamentals, shooting, and high-level IQ—was critical to his development.

At the age of 14, Devin made a life-changing decision: he moved to Moss Point, Mississippi, to live with his father full-time. Melvin Booker had retired from professional basketball and was determined to give his son the "blueprint" for NBA success. The training was rigorous. They would wake up at 5:00 AM for beach workouts, followed by hours of shooting drills in the humid Mississippi heat. Melvin taught Devin the "art" of the shooting guard position—how to use screens, how to read a defender's feet, and how to maintain a consistent shooting pocket.

Booker’s high school career at Moss Point was a scoring barrage. He averaged 32.8 points per game as a senior and was named a McDonald's All-American. He chose to play his college basketball at the University of Kentucky under John Calipari. Interestingly, at Kentucky, Booker wasn't even a starter. He played the role of a "sixth man" on a loaded team that featured future NBA players like Karl-Anthony Towns and Willie Cauley-Stein. Despite his limited minutes, Booker’s shooting efficiency and "pro-ready" frame caught the attention of NBA scouts. He was drafted 13th overall by the Phoenix Suns in the 2015 NBA Draft, a selection that would change the trajectory of the franchise forever.

Phoenix Takes a Chance at Pick 13

When the Suns drafted Devin Booker, they were a team in search of an identity. They had a crowded backcourt and were coming off a disappointing season. Booker was the youngest player in his draft class, a 18-year-old with a smooth jumper and a quiet confidence. His rookie season was a slow burn. He began the year at the end of the rotation, but as injuries decimated the Suns' roster, he was thrust into a starting role.

Booker responded by becoming one of the most productive rookies in the league. He averaged 13.8 points per game and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. What stood out most was his "fearlessness." He wasn't intimidated by the league's superstars; he would talk trash to Kobe Bryant and go right at LeBron James. Kobe, in his final season, was so impressed by Booker’s competitive fire that he gifted him a pair of shoes with the inscription: "Be Legendary." Those two words would become Booker’s mantra and the driving force behind his career.

As the table above illustrates, Booker’s 70-point game remains one of the most remarkable statistical anomalies in NBA history. But as his career progresses, that night is becoming just one chapter in a much larger story of perseverance and loyalty. Devin Booker didn't take the easy way out. He didn't join a "superteam" to find success; he built one from the ground up in the city that drafted him.

At just 27 years old, Devin Booker is in the prime of his career. He is a four-time All-Star, an All-NBA First Team selection, and an Olympic gold medalist. But for Booker, the job isn't finished until he brings a championship to Phoenix. He continues to live by the words Kobe Bryant gave him: "Be Legendary." Every time he steps onto the court at the Footprint Center, he is carrying the hopes of a franchise and a city that he refused to abandon. He is the Suns' franchise cornerstone, the boy from Moss Point who became a man in Phoenix, and the superstar who proved that loyalty still matters in the modern NBA.