There's No Better Time for Devin Booker to Be Legendary Than Game 7
"Be legendary"
The last time Kobe Bryant met Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker on the basketball court, Bryant passed those words of encouragement (and motivation) to Booker.
Booker has long been a fan of Bryant's, modeling parts of his game and at times flexing the killer mentality Bryant often displayed on the court.
Those words are even tatted on Booker to honor the late basketball great.
Needless to say, Booker has taken those words to heart.
Booker, the No. 13 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, has ascended into one of basketball's best players, recently finishing fourth in MVP voting while having three NBA All-Star nods to his name.
His talents have led to impressive numbers on the court. This season, Booker averaged 26.8 points per game along with 5 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game.
Incredible moments have come and gone for Booker to show precisely why he's one of the best to do it in the NBA. That includes a trip to the NBA Finals last season that ultimately fell short.
Yet Booker has had few opportunities to establish signature moments in his career, similar to the player he idolized coming into the league.
So what better moment for Booker to leave his mark than a pivotal Game 7 with the Dallas Mavericks?
After going up 2-0 in the series, the Suns have fallen flat in their efforts to close out the Mavericks, and now have one game left in order to advance to another Western Conference Finals.
With Phoenix last playing a series that went the distance in the 2006 playoffs, Booker will get his first taste of do-or-die basketball in what he called, 'the best two words in sports" in Game 7.
“It's exciting,” Booker told reporters. “It's Game 7. I've never been in a Game 7. It's going to be fun."
The Suns set numerous franchise records this season, including regular season wins in route to the league's best record and No. 1 seed in the west.
After making quick work of the New Orleans Pelicans, the Mavericks have pushed back when challenged.
Now, the next time the two teams meet, the Suns will be playing for all the marbles in their own arena.
“We’ve worked all season to have home-court advantage and get the last game at our house and it’s exciting,” said Booker. “It’s Game 7, I’ve never been in a Game 7. This will be fun.”
This is by no means a legacy-defining game for Booker. Should the Suns win, don't expect a statue built outside of the Footprint Center. If the Suns can't close, Booker's reputation isn't exactly tarnished.
However, in his first Game 7, Booker has an opportunity to build a true iconic moment where Suns fans will ask each other, "Where were you when Devin Booker took over in Game 7?"
Fist-bumping a baby commands respect, and the photo of Booker laying on the floor after sinking a shot following a foul will remain meme-worthy for a while.
Yet Sunday holds potential to be a crucial building block in what many hope to be a long and storied career for Booker.
Bryant's words are famously inked on Booker's body and written on many pairs of shoes he's worn since Bryant's passing. It's a mantra Booker has taken to heart, and very rarely has been in positions to make those words come to life.
However come Sunday evening, with an entire arena full of Suns fans behind him and the rest of the world watching, Booker will have the opportunity to do just that: Be legendary.
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