Devin Booker Brought 35-40 Family & Friends From “Crib” to Witness 52-Point Belting of Pelicans

Devin Booker put on a show in New Orleans tonight. He decimated the Pelicans defense and scored a game-high 52 points to lead the Suns to a 124-111 blowout victory. Booker was coming off two severely under-par shooting performances in the last couple of games but managed to turn things around tonight. A major reason for his shooting slump coming to an end was the family support he got. The Phoenix Suns superstar brought 35-40 family and friends to New Orleans’ Smoothie King Center tonight to watch the game.

Booker’s loved ones came from Moss Point, Mississippi, only a 90-minute drive from New Orleans. The 4-time All-Star was even spotted taking pictures with each of his family members in an empty arena after the game. He appreciated the support from his loved ones in the opposing arena and even addressed the impact of their presence during his post-game interview.

When a reporter asked Booker the reason for his continuous success against the Pelicans, he replied, “The crib is close. I have a lot of family in attendance. I grew up coming here. It’s the first NBA arena I’ve been to.” Booker’s strong connection to a place so close to New Orleans might have played a part in the Pelicans’ loss tonight. While he hails from Grand Rapids, Michigan, he has always had a strong connection with Moss Point.

Devin Booker moved to Mississippi to play for Moss Point High School and follow in his legendary father’s footsteps. In 2022, the High School retired Booker’s No. 2 jersey and hung it in the rafters alongside his father’s No. 15 jersey. Booker’s Phoenix Suns teammates also attended the prestigious ceremony at Moss Point High School.

What did Devin Booker say about equalling a Wilt Chamberlain record?

With his 52-point outing in front of his family and friends, Booker joined the elite company of NBA legend Wilt Chamberlain. He became the only player in NBA history apart from Wilt to score three consecutive 50-point games against the same team. Booker had 52 points against the Pelicans the last they faced each other in January and 58 points before that in December 2022.

After the game, Booker revealed how it felt to match Wilt Chamberlain’s unique record. “Anytime you get named with Wilt, you know it’s happened very few times in my career, but you know you did something special.”

Booker also said it meant “a whole lot” to achieve that feat in front of his family and friends. Out of his 3 50-point games, his family was present in the arena on two of those occasions. The Phoenix Suns star also made his focus clear for the remaining 7 regular season games and claimed he would take it “one at a time”.

The Suns are currently seeded 7th in the Western Conference with a 44-31 record. With the Kings, Lakers, and Warriors in great form, Kevin Durant and Co. would prefer to bag a higher seed and avoid facing these teams in the play-in tournament. Devin Booker and Co. need to keep the same energy in the remaining games to overtake Dallas or New Orleans in the standings.

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