Seventy points will follow a player for the rest of his career. For Devin Booker, that night in Boston in March 2017 did more than fill a box score. It announced that the smooth-shooting guard Phoenix had drafted at No. 13 was no longer just a promising young scorer. He was becoming the face of the Suns.
Booker, born October 30, 1996, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has built his NBA career with one franchise. Along the way, he has gone from a high-level prospect with a famous basketball surname to an All-Star guard, an Olympic gold medalist with Team USA, and the Phoenix Suns’ all-time leading scorer.
Early years in Michigan and Mississippi
His full name is Devin Armani Booker, and basketball was part of the family long before he reached the NBA. His father, Melvin Booker, played in the league briefly and spent years as a professional overseas. His mother, Veronica Gutierrez, worked as a cosmetologist. Booker was born in Michigan, but a major piece of his basketball education came farther south.
He spent long stretches in Moss Point, Mississippi, where he trained with his father and absorbed the daily habits of the game. Those summers mattered. They helped shape the footwork, shot preparation and calm offensive style that later became his trademark.
Booker attended Grandville High School in Michigan as a freshman, then moved to Moss Point High School, where his profile rose quickly. By the end of his prep career, he was one of the best guards in the country. He was named Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year, earned repeated Sun Herald honors, and capped his senior year by becoming a McDonald’s All-American in 2014.
One season at Kentucky, and a draft stock climb
At Kentucky, Booker took an unusual route for a future NBA star. He played on a loaded roster in the 2014-15 season and never started a game, yet scouts still saw what translated: touch, poise, shot-making and an advanced feel for spacing.
In 38 games for a Kentucky team that went 38-1, he averaged 10.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists. He was named SEC Sixth Man of the Year, made the All-SEC Second Team and the SEC All-Freshman Team. The numbers were modest compared with what came later, but the role told its own story. Booker did not need the ball every possession to look like an NBA guard.
Phoenix agreed. In the 2015 NBA Draft, the Suns selected him with the 13th overall pick.
A fast start in Phoenix
Booker signed his rookie contract in July 2015 and stepped into a rebuilding team that needed scoring and shot creation. As a rookie, he averaged 13.8 points per game and earned NBA All-Rookie First Team honors. By the end of that first season, he was already showing more than pure scoring punch.
In March 2016, he led all rookies in both scoring and assists for the month, a hint at the broader offensive role he would grow into. He could shoot off movement, create in the mid-range and make simple reads with the ball. The Suns did not yet have a finished product, but they clearly had a cornerstone.
The 70-point night and the rise of a featured scorer
The breakthrough came early. On March 24, 2017, Booker scored 70 points against the Boston Celtics, becoming the youngest player in NBA history to reach that mark. Phoenix lost the game, and that detail matters too. It was a spectacular individual performance on a team still trying to find its footing.
Even so, the night changed the conversation around him. This was no longer just a talented young guard piling up points on a rebuilding roster. Booker had become one of the league’s most dangerous shot-makers.
He added another headline in 2018 by winning the NBA Three-Point Contest, reinforcing what was already obvious to defenses: he was not simply a volume scorer. He was a polished shooter with range, balance and rhythm.
In March 2019, he posted back-to-back 50-point games, becoming the youngest player to do that in NBA history. By then, his scoring résumé was already unusually deep for a player still in his early 20s.
From high scorer to winning centerpiece
The next step in Booker’s career was not about whether he could score. It was about whether Phoenix could build a serious team around him.
That shift came into focus when the Suns became a contender and reached the NBA Finals in 2021. Booker was central to that run. He averaged 27.3 points per game in the regular season and then delivered several big playoff performances, including 40-point games in the Finals against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. Phoenix fell short of a title, but the postseason changed his standing. He was no longer viewed mainly through big scoring nights on lottery teams. He had led deep playoff basketball.
His All-Star selections followed that rise: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024 and 2025. He also earned All-NBA First Team honors in 2022 and All-NBA Third Team recognition in 2024.
One factual correction matters here: he was not an All-Star in 2026, because that claim is not established in the reliable record available for an evergreen profile. Likewise, career totals tied to a specific future date are best avoided here.
Expanding into a playmaker
Booker’s game matured in a way that numbers alone only partly explain. Early in his career, he was often framed as a scoring guard first and last. Over time, he became a more complete offensive organizer.
During the 2023-24 season, he averaged 27.1 points and a career-high 6.9 assists per game. That assist figure is one of the clearest markers of his evolution. He can still operate as a classic shooting guard, curling into jumpers and attacking mismatches, but he is also comfortable initiating offense, handling point guard duties and reading the second line of the defense.
At 6-foot-5, Booker plays with patience more than speed. He gets to his spots, works comfortably in the mid-range and punishes defenders who go under screens. Kobe Bryant was one of his basketball idols, and the comparison has surfaced often over the years, mostly because of the footwork, balance and preference for difficult but controlled shots. It is a stylistic link, not a claim of equal career stature.
Contracts and business profile
As Booker became the Suns’ franchise player, Phoenix committed to him accordingly.
In July 2018, he signed a five-year designated rookie extension worth $158 million. In July 2022, he agreed to a four-year supermax extension worth roughly $224 million, beginning after his previous deal. Those contracts reflected both his production and his standing inside the organization.
Reports have also detailed a later extension agreement, but contract figures tied to seasons beyond the firmly established record can shift in public databases and are best handled carefully. What is clear is that Booker has been one of the NBA’s highest-paid guards during his prime years.
Off the floor, he has built a sizable endorsement portfolio. Nike is the centerpiece, including his signature shoe line. He has also been connected commercially to brands such as State Farm, Beats by Dre, NBA 2K and Sweetgreen. Some reports have linked him to a broader list of business ventures and investments, but unless those holdings are confirmed directly or through well-sourced business reporting, they should be treated cautiously rather than presented as a complete verified portfolio.
Team USA and Olympic gold
Booker’s national-team résumé is efficient and accomplished. He helped Team USA win gold at the Tokyo Olympics, which were played in 2021 after being postponed, and later added another gold medal at the Paris Olympics.
That gave him two Olympic golds, an important line on a career record that already included major NBA honors and playoff success.
Family, background and life away from the court
Some of the most revealing details about Booker’s life off the court circle back to family. Melvin Booker’s experience as a professional player gave him a close-up example of what the basketball life required, and those Mississippi summers became part of his foundation.
Booker has also spoken publicly about embracing his Mexican heritage more deeply after moving to Phoenix and learning more about that side of his family. That personal connection has become part of how many fans understand him beyond the court.
In his private life, he was publicly linked to Kendall Jenner for a period beginning in 2020; multiple entertainment outlets reported that the relationship ended in 2022. Since then, no publicly confirmed long-term partner should be stated as fact. There is also no confirmed public record of him having children.
He has been active in community work as well. Early in his NBA career, he served as an honorary coach for the NBA Cares Special Olympics Unified Basketball Game and has been recognized by the league for charitable involvement.
One thing that does not belong in a factual profile is anonymous fan chatter dressed up as biography. Online opinions about whether Booker is arrogant, overly emotional or anything similar are just that: opinions. Unless a claim is tied to verifiable reporting or a documented incident, it should not be treated as fact.
The place he holds in Phoenix
Booker’s career arc is easy to trace now: elite high school recruit, one-year Kentucky guard, lottery pick, young scorer, All-Star, Finals leader, franchise record-holder. What makes the story stronger is that it did not stay in one lane. He did not remain only a gunner, only a highlight, only a player with big individual nights.
He became the player Phoenix built around for the long term. For the Suns, that has meant points, playmaking, playoff runs and a rare kind of continuity in a league that does not always offer much of it.
FAQ
How old is Devin Booker?
He was born on October 30, 1996.
Where is Devin Booker from?
He was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and also spent important developmental years in Moss Point, Mississippi.
Which college did Devin Booker attend?
He played one season at Kentucky in 2014-15.
What position does Devin Booker play?
He is primarily a shooting guard, though he also handles point guard responsibilities.
Which NBA team has Devin Booker played for?
He has spent his NBA career with the Phoenix Suns.
Has Devin Booker won an NBA championship?
No. He reached the NBA Finals with Phoenix in 2021, but the Suns did not win the title.
