Devin Booker, a guard with the Phoenix Suns and a three-time NBA All Star, is widely regarded as one of the game’s most exciting up-and-coming stars. Booker, as a rookie in the NBA at the age of 19, set a record by scoring 70 points against the Boston Celtics in March 2017. He was the youngest player in NBA history at the time.

Booker set a new NBA record in March 2019 at the age of 22 by scoring 50 points in three straight games. The Michigan native (now 25) has been helped down this path by PJ Tucker, a veteran forward for the Miami Heat who formerly played for the Phoenix Suns. The two players spoke over the phone for CR MEN and discussed the rook-vet dynamic, the value of dressing the part, and how basketball was ingrained in their minds from birth. 

For me, it all began in the womb, so it’s the same. There are photos of me as a newborn holding a ball, and I credit my father, a professional player, with providing me with a role model. Due to his overseas deployments, I didn’t even able to spend a lot of time with him. Having a father who played professionally and seeing what he provided for his family inspired me to follow in his footsteps.

Since I was four years younger than my elder brother, I had to really step up my game if I was going to fit in with his crowd. I was always one of the oldest kids in class and looked up to him as a role model, but I finally overtook him sometime in my early adolescence.