Tag: history

PHOENIX — Andy Page was ready. The 44-year-old Phoenix Suns fan had set a reminder in his cell phone. “Jan. 24. 8 a.m.”

The Nike Book 1 “Forrest Gump” sneakers were about to drop. Page had been a Suns fan for as long as he could remember. He grew up watching Tom Chambers, Eddie Johnson and Jeff Hornacek. He celebrated the postseason runs of Charles Barkley and Steve Nash.

In 2015, the Suns drafted Devin Booker, a guard from the University of Kentucky. It didn’t take long for Page to appreciate everything about Booker. He remembers thinking: “This is what I want as a Suns fan. He’s a homegrown guy. He’s all about us. He’s a good player. He fits everything you would want.”

While working as an administration assistant at Phoenix Sunnyslope High, Page called up the Nike website. At 8 a.m., he ordered the Gump shoes, size 11. A message flashed: “Sorry, the product you want is no longer available.”

Disappointed, Page returned to work.

An hour later, his luck changed. Page noticed Booker had posted on his Instagram story. The Phoenix guard said he was hiding sneakers at certain locations, similar to what he had previously done in Paris during the Summer Olympics and in other places. Finders keepers.

A four-time All-Star, Booker is about to become the Suns’ career scoring leader, 22 points behind the record entering Monday. Over 10 years, he has become the state’s most popular athlete, his No. 1 jersey an unmistakable part of the desert landscape. He has connected to fans in his own unique way, finding his voice in ways few could have imagined.

In 10 seasons in Phoenix, Devin Booker has become a fan favorite while making four All-Star and two All-NBA teams and leading the Suns to the 2021 finals. (Chris Schwegler / NBAE via Getty Images)

Booker had stolen “Finders Keepers” from DJ Clark Kent, a hip-hop producer and legendary sneakerhead in New York. Kent hid sneakers from his personal collection around the city, posting clues of their whereabouts. Booker had even contacted Kent and asked for location suggestions when he did a similar scavenger hunt in New York.

The Suns star had not participated in a recent giveaway in Sedona, Ariz. — Phoenix had a game that night, he said — but he had time for this one. Pulling up his hoodie to avoid detection, Booker hid shoes at various locations, including one at a bus stop on West Dunlap Avenue.

As he watched Booker’s IG story, Page recognized Sunnyslope High in the background. As Booker panned the area with his phone, giving viewers clues to the location, Page recognized the street. “That’s us!” he said.

Page ran outside. He found the shoes, which featured Booker’s signature and “Finders Keepers” in black ink. As Page walked back to the school, he noticed a man driving slowly, window down, looking for the shoes. When the man noticed Page carrying them, he flashed a thumbs up and yelled, “Go Suns!”

Booker, 28, says he likes to tell his story through his shoes. The Book 1 “Haven” is named after his dog. The Book 1 “Flagstaff” is named after the northern Arizona city in which Booker likes to hang. The Book 1 “Forrest Gump,” low cut with a red swoosh, is named after one of his favorite movies.

“I think it makes him so relatable,” Page said of Booker. “He’s blessed enough to have this cool shoe deal with Nike. He wants to share that with people. Here, have some free shoes. Like he has said, I think it helps him feel connected.”

Before he was hired as coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, JJ Redick hosted a popular podcast, “The Old Man and the Three,” a basketball show that featured NBA stars. In the spring of 2024, Redick had Booker on as a guest. Months later, Redick was asked if he had learned anything about the Suns star.

Redick smiled.

“I’ll share a quick story,” he said. “We went to his house. Didn’t really have a set time. Just kind of come over, hang out, let’s talk and we’ll record at some point. Never had a guest do this in 400-some episodes. We had our producer setting up. And Devin really took a lot of pride in participating in the setup process. The lighting, what was in the background, the camera angles, what was on the table.

“It resonated with me because I’m a very particular person, and there’s a level of obsession about things. I think sometimes players — and Devin’s one of these guys — that are obsessed with basketball and obsessed with all that goes into being a great basketball player, that obsession carries over to the rest of their life. I know that. And that was cool for me to kind of watch what normally is a 5- to 10-minute process turn into a 45-minute process.”

Asked about this, Booker said Redick had tried to get him on the podcast for a couple of years. The preparation at his house mostly had to do with product placement. Booker didn’t want to promote anything without compensation. But he also said he spent that time trying to decide if he actually wanted to do the podcast.

“I don’t know,” Booker said. “Everyone has a podcast now, and there’s so much information out there. I just did a decent job of kind of staying in my own lane and kind of out of the way. Protect the peace.”

Booker added that he had done “The Backyard Podcast,” hosted by close friend and fellow baller D’Angelo Russell. The feedback was good. He said people seemed to enjoy when he showed personality, but it wasn’t easy for him.

“I feel uncomfortable sometimes,” Booker said. “I don’t like listening to myself back and hearing it again. I’m always like, ‘I should’ve said that differently.’”

Booker has few regrets about his time in Phoenix, but he admits it’s been a roller coaster. He has played on some of the organization’s worst teams (after former Suns star Alvan Adams twice attended the NBA Draft lottery with Booker, he told Booker he didn’t want to be back there again) and some of the best (the 2020-21 team made the NBA Finals and the 2021-22 set a franchise record for wins). He has played for seven head coaches and had more teammates than any other player in franchise history.

Devin Booker, near the top of the Suns’ franchise leaderboard in most offensive statistics, is about to be its all-time leading scorer. (Kate Frese / NBAE via Getty Images)

Those who have worked with Booker describe him in different ways. Former assistant coach Jerry Sichting, who was around Booker for just a few months during his rookie season, said the guard was so confident entering the league it bordered on cockiness. “But at the same time he was open to coaching,” Sichting said. “He listened.”

Former assistant coach Randy Ayers appreciated Booker’s honesty. He didn’t work much with Booker directly but he would approach the guard about game situations. “If he didn’t like something, he would tell you,” Ayers said, “but he was very polished in how he told you.”

Former assistant Kevin Young said upon joining Monty Williams’ staff in 2020 he initially gave Booker space. The Phoenix guard had already gone through five head coaches, which Young figured translated to about 45 assistant coaches. He said it took months to build trust with Booker. But once he did, their relationship flourished.

“We connected on really just kind of the same (basketball level),” Young said. “I don’t know. We just saw it similar. Game plans and schemes, offensively and defensively. We were able to pick each other’s brains on attacking different opponents on both ends of the floor.”

Former Suns star Rex Chapman said Booker’s status within Arizona reminds him of how Reggie Miller was once adored in Indiana. He first saw Booker while Booker was a freshman at Kentucky. A former Kentucky star himself, Chapman watched the Wildcats practice in Rupp Arena. He asked then-assistant coach Kenny Payne how much Booker would play his first college season.

Responded Payne: “I hope not too much because if he does we won’t keep him for more than a year.”

He was right.

Chapman said Booker plays in a way that seems effortless, but what also stands out to him is just how much Booker has embraced his role as the face of the franchise. He’s thoughtful, curious and kind, Chapman said, the type who fist-pounds kids before and after his pregame shooting session.

Last year the Suns held a family event at their north Phoenix practice facility. Booker got there early, Chapman said. Played with everyone’s kids. While doing so, Booker learned that teammate Saben Lee had a younger brother named Aubry who loved cars. Booker, known for his collection of classic cars, took Aubry outside and showed him his pink 1958 Chevy convertible. The two talked and took photos.

“Obviously, Book is considered a high-level athlete, a celebrity on the highest level,” Lee said from Turkey, where he is playing this season. “To do something like that, which to him might not be that significant, but to my little brother and me, it definitely meant a lot. That’s something my little brother will remember for the rest of his life. It just goes to show you Book’s character, the way that he was raised and the way that he still is.”

Booker may not be fond of podcasts, but he has found his voice in other, more unique ways. The release of the Book 1 “Forrest Gump” sneakers came with ads, placing Booker in scenes from the iconic 1994 movie that starred Tom Hanks. In one, Booker sits on a park bench in Savannah, Ga. In another, he runs on scenic U.S. Route 163 near the Arizona-Utah border.

While the character is a CGI creation, Booker insists he did the voice work, which is amusing and almost difficult to believe. Booker said he rewatched the Forrest Gump scenes a “million times” to try to get everything right. Then in his best southern drawl, he recorded a voice memo, one that required a few takes.

“Mama always said there’s an awful lot you could tell about a person by their shoes. Where they goin’. Where they been.

“I’ve worn lots of shoes. I bet if I think about it real hard I could remember my first pair of shoes. Mama said they’d take me anywhere.”

“Hilarious,” said teammate Royce O’Neale, although he expressed serious doubt when asked if Booker had a future in voice-over work.

“When they told me I was getting a shoe, I was like, ‘What’s a better way to tell stories?’ because I don’t really talk that much,” Booker said. “I’d rather just tell stories through different ways like that. … Any bits of stories I can give to the fans and my people without just telling them or yelling in their face, I like to do it.”

Perhaps as soon as Monday night, when the Suns play the Trail Blazers in Portland, Booker could pass Walter Davis as the organization’s career scoring leader. Across the NBA, nine active players hold such a title, but only two (Golden State’s Stephen Curry and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo) top the career scoring lists for teams on which they still play. It’s a list that reflects not only talent, but loyalty as well.

After a recent game, Booker said he first felt a connection during his rookie season. Once he started playing extensive minutes, he felt the city’s support. Fans stuck with him as the Suns struggled, they cheered for him as he developed into a star. More recently, they’ve rushed to different places in hopes of finding his signature shoes, characters in Booker’s Arizona story.

“It’s something I don’t take lightly,” said Booker, who was born in Michigan and attended high school in Mississippi. “It’s something that I feel like we built from the ground up. This is my home now.”

(Top photo: Barry Gossage / NBAE via Getty Images)