The Rise of a Superstar: Devin Booker

by Kaleab Afeworki, age 14

Devin Booker has gained attention and impacted people ever since he joined the NBA. He gained a great deal of attention in 2017 after he scored 70 points against the Celtics, becoming one of a few players to accomplish this achievement.

Devin Booker was born on October 30, 1996 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He was born to Veronica Gutierrez and Melvin Booker. Veronica, was a cosmetologist and a hairstylist, while Melvin was a college basketball player who played briefly in the NBA but spent the rest of his career overseas in Italy and Russia. Veronica and Melvin would eventually split up. His father would move to Moss Point, Mississippi, where he became an assistant coach at Moss Point High School after he retired in 2008. Booker played his first year at Grandville High School in Michigan, but he then moved south to Mississippi to play for his dad.

Booker was named as an elite scorer and averaged 30.9 points per game as a senior. He got offers from several colleges, but he committed to Kentucky where he was teammates with Karl-Anthony Towns, this year's NBA Finals winner. In the first year, Booker came off the bench and averaged ten points, two rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game. With this performance, he won Southeastern Conference Sixth Man of the Year with the team’s overall record being 38-1. After that season, Booker entered the 2015 NBA draft.

Booker was drafted 13th overall to the Phoenix Suns, where he has played his whole career. In his rookie season, he averaged 13.8 points per game. Booker’s numbers have been consistently improving, which shows he could be a future superstar. One key moment of Booker’s career was in March 2017, when he faced the Celtics. He scored 70 points but unfortunately lost the game, becoming the sixth NBA player to score more than 70 points and also the youngest. Two years later, Booker set a new record, becoming the youngest player to score 50+ points in back-to-back games.

Booker has had a phenomenal career and has influenced the offensive players in the newest generation with his three-point shooting ability.

[Source: Britannica]