LeBron James Believes Devin Booker is NBA's Next Big Name: Why Cavs Superstar is So High on Suns' 19-Year-Old Shooting Guard
Devin Booker recently got one of the biggest endorsements in his young basketball career and it came from no other than four-time NBA MVP LeBron James. The Cleveland Cavaliers superstar believed that the 19-year-old shooting guard of the Phoenix Suns is the next big name in the league.
Booker's Future Will Be Brighter
James recently appeared on "Uninterrupted: Open Run" podcast where he answered various questions in a candid and thoughtful manner. During the 90-minute interview, hosts Jesse Williams and Stefan Marolachakis asked him to name the current player under the radar whom he believes would become the next big NBA star.
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Without prompt, the 31-year-old NBA Finals MVP mentioned Booker as the young player who will make it big in the future. He said that he believes the Suns star rookie will become an All-Star level player.
Why James is So High on Booker
Although James did not cite his reasons why he is betting on Booker as the next big star in the league, per Aaron Torres of Fox Sports, the choice of the three-time NBA Finals MVP is not anymore surprising.
Torres explained that Booker just finished a historic rookie season, where he became the sixth teenage player in the league's history to reach 1,000 points. He joined seasoned NBA stars Kevin Durant, Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant and James in the list.
Moreover, Bill Reiter of CBS Sports commented that James does not easily praise young players unless they truly caught his eye. He said that given James' deep and impressive basketball IQ, he must have seen Booker's bankable talents.
According to NBA.com, injuries made Booker to be elevated to the Suns' starting lineup midway through last season. The insertion gave him the opportunity to take the league by storm, averaging 13.8 points per game and earning the All-Rookie First Team honors.
Not The First
It is not the first time that Booker earned praises from an NBA All-Star. According to Los Angeles Times, Bryant, Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler also lauded the teenage shooting guard as a promising NBA star.
Bryant told AZ Central early this year that Booker is a fantastic player who possesses the right attitude and competitive spirit, as well as, the extremely sound footwork and fundamentals. He opined it is only up for the young player to figure out his game and hone his talents.
Moreover, in another interview, Wade said that Booker impressed him during their first match. He explained that despite having a tough season, the teen NBA star continues to get better, have fun and keep calm in the court. He commented that if Booker will continue to step up, he would surely become one of the league's best guards in the future.
