Vigil said he didnt think that the uniforms felt like pandering; rather, it was finally merchandise that represented the largest demographic in Phoenix. Welcome to r/nbacirclejerk, where we offer only the most le epic XD discussions on le interwebz :p, Press J to jump to the feed. Luka Doncic is Devin Booker father. His maternal grandfather was born in Mexico but migrated to Michigan. Valdes says hes a diehard Suns fan, so finding out about Devin Bookers Mexican roots made him hopeful. Other Latinos dream of bringing Booker home for dinner to introduce him to their most favorite Mexican dishes. This season was to mark his fifth appearance in the competition before ultimately pulling out due to injury. Even after having a really long playoff run, Devin Booker wasn't . After having Devin in 1996, she was often the one to spend time with him when Melvin traveled in different countries for his professional basketball career. When Booker was 20, Kevin Durant said on The Bill Simmons Podcast that he wanted the Thunder to draft Booker in 2015. Devin Booker has Mexican roots, making his stardom even sweeter for the Valley's Latino community. Being able to touch those types of communities in this area makes all this that much better.. One even stopped behind it and crossed himself. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. However, the matter did not do much damage to his career. Post player first:Being tall for his age, Booker actually played significant minutes in the post as a kid before ultimately becoming a shooting guard. And it turned around. Los Suns, said Richard Valdes from Phoenix. But that was the sacrifice I had to make to provide for him and my family as well., Devin Booker says his father is now one of his best friends.. Devin grew up in Grandville, Michigan, a predominantly white town of about 15,000 people that is a suburb of Grand Rapids. 14. r/AnarchyChess. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. To the Gutirrezes, both of whom are first-generation Americans with Mexican parents, Bookers background is a source of pride. Melvin Booker, his African-American father, played for the Continental Basketball Association Grand Rapids Mackers during the 1995-96 season. His grandfather was born in Los Nogales, Mexico, right near the Texas border. He called his opportunity a blessing because he was able to see the world. When I saw that, I said he looks like one of my own uncles growing up, Vigil said. One fan I encountered just before Game 2 said she researched Bookers heritage after seeing his face, doing a double take, and saying, Esa cara no se ve gringa (That face doesnt look gringa). 18 0 comments Best Add a Comment More posts from r/nbacirclejerk 78K subscribers NumerousPainting354 2 days ago JOTY 2.4K 111 oldmatesatan 3 days ago Chet Holmgren injury update: no longer in a boot, it looks like his Lisfranc injury to his right foot is healing nicely. I think thats why he is eager to learn more now.. The avid Suns fan attended the game at Footprint Center and met Suns All-Star Devin Booker 30 minutes before tip. I can only imagine how it is across the water. Devin Booker is part Puerto Rican from his mothers side, and this qualifies him to play for the national Puerto Rican team if he desires to do so. But draft night was one of the worst nights of my life., Said Devin Booker: I could tell he is still kind of hurt by it.. The split came as a surprise to many considering Devin's attendance at Kourtney Kardashian's wedding to Travis Barker. From 1997-2008, Melvin Booker made a living playing most notably in Italy with stints in Turkey and Russia. Jesus Gutierrez who went by Jesse, to most was originally from Mexico, growing up in a large family of 15 brothers and sisters in Nuevo Len before later settling in Michigan. Hollywood Life, Latest Hollywood Celebrity & Entertainment News. In February 2017, he scored 31 points against the Milwaukee Bucks and became the youngest player in NBA history to score at least 20 points in 16 consecutive games. Most people have been doing that all their kids life. Its helped me out a lot, he said. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Those were the most enjoyable moments - just sitting down, family time and enjoying some really good food.. His voice rings into his microphone as Booker hits a tough shot, which Ochoa describes in detail before punctuating the play with his go-to description for the Suns star: El hombre con herencia hispana! The man with Hispanic heritage. Devin Booker was born on 30th October 1996 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to Melvin Booker and Veronica Gutierrez. I got to see the guys like Michael Jordan play up close, Melvin Booker said. To capitalize on his popularity after those performances, Booker worked out deals with Nike and Zucaritas, the Mexican version of Frosted Flakes, to make a few return trips. When you ask people around Phoenix when they became aware of Bookers Mexican heritage, everyone has a different answer: the 2017 game the Suns played in Mexico, or the one in 2019; through the video the team put out for National Hispanic Heritage Month last year; or just this past season, as the Suns became one of the best teams in the league and Booker became an even bigger star. I didnt tell him at all, but I called my mom that night telling her that I might be back soon. And once he did, Ochoa noticed Booker became more comfortable discussing it publicly, like he did when the Suns played in Mexico City in January 2017. Melvin Booker also thought the fast-paced, trash-talking and tough style of basketball would make his . Division I colleges were already pursuing him. Get to know them better here. Get to know the Utah Jazz's star center with these 10 interesting factoids about his life and career. Devin and his father were around each other daily for the first time. Devin Booker's sister, Mya Powell, has always been in the limelight for her bond with the NBA player. The athletes parents, Melvin Booker and Veronica Gutierrez, led successful careers of their own as they raised him, and have been a huge part of his life. Melvin Booker also believed that his son would grow as a person from being at a school where most students didnt have his blessings. He also taught his son some tricks of the trade he developed on the pro level. I didnt like it all, Devin Booker said. I meet a lot of people around the basketball business that talk about him like, People may not know who your father is, but he could hoop, Devin Booker said. Try a week on us. Booker has also recently started driving old-school cars and lowriders to games. Devin initially refused to go to Mississippi. Latino fans, in particular, lit up when they saw it. It's Hispanic Heritage Month. He was very supportive of everything that I did and still do today. The 19-year-old rookie acquitted himself well, reaching the final round before ultimately losing to Klay Thompson. Like Devin, Melvin spent many years as a professional basketball player. Devin Booker remembers hopping in the car with his mother, Veronica Gutierrez, as she took a more than two-hour drive from their home in the suburbs of Grand Rapids, Mich., to Detroit to spend time with his Papa. He continued to play brilliantly, earning praises from a popular Press-Register sportswriter, Creg Stephenson, who wrote that Devins average of 22.7 points during the season showed that he had developed to be one of the best players on the coast. Devin and Mya have become very close over the years and hes often seen sharing sweet moments with her. They gaze up at the gold lettering and Larry OBrien Trophy graphics with anticipation and disbelief. Devin, a three-time NBA All-Star, is a professional . Family has always been first and foremost in Bookers life and seeing that embracement of family values within the Hispanic community has only helped Booker admire and connect to his ancestry. I dont think any kid can just make that move that I made but I understood the goal that was at hand and I just embraced the Mississippi culture, you know, the inner city and it was good for me, Booker said. 291. The elder Booker was the 1994 Big Eight Player of the Year at the University of Missouri and a former professional basketball player. Music booms through two speakers as a DJ and a hype man practice their lines, but the area is virtually deserted. Now, shes his biggest fan. Apart from this, her rare medical condition called Chromosomal Deletion Syndrome has also drawn more attention. Im around [Latino culture] every day, Booker said the day after winning Game 1 of the Finals. For a mother to just let her son move with a father I didnt spend much time with She raised me most of my life. That meeting included a gift: a pair of signature shoes on which Bryant had written Be legendary.Booker has since gotten the phrase tattooed on his arm, and admitted his idol was very much on his mind when he scored 47 points in Game 6 to eliminate Bryants former team in the first round of the 2021 playoffs. Learn more about the Hall of Fame career of the legendary point guard. It was special. 2023 ESPN Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved. Devin certainly considered it, but didnt give up and it eventually worked out very well. I would definitely, my moms rice, her sopa, cheese, and the tortillas, that's all you need, said Elena Beltran. The love was always there. He became an assistant basketball coach at his alma mater, Moss Point High School, after retiring from playing professionally. He made the 2016 NBA all-rookie first team, quickly earned a reputation as one of the NBAs top shooters and is the Suns leading scorer. I think all of this is even cooler because he has Mexican blood in him, and hes carrying that with him, Gerardo said while looking at a marquee that featured Booker in the center. 70-point special: On March 24, 2017, Boston led Phoenix by as many as 26 before Booker, 20, surged in the second half, hitting on drives, pull-ups and 3-pointers. Me knowing Devin, hes going to continue to work hard and continue to try to get better.. Gary Trent Jr is Kawhi Leonard Wife. After averaging at least 25 points over the last four seasons, he averaged 29.7 ppg, 6.2 rpg and 5.0 apg while shooting 48.8% overall and 42.9% from 3-point range in his playoff debut and Phoenixs 4-2 series victory against the Lakers the franchises first series win since 2010. In March, Devin scored 34 points against Miami Heat to achieve yet another career milestone and his careers best performance to date. Veronica is a Mexican-American and her father was born in Mexico. It took a lot of persuading for former NBA player Melvin Booker to get his son to move to Mississippi away from his mom to best aid his hoop dream. I guess he has 2 dads. It ended up being one of the best decisions Ive ever made. Some of my favorite times as a child was my mom whipping up her original Mexican dishes that she learned from her father, or when we got the chance to visit my grandpa on the weekends in his city and having him cook for us, Booker said. But I had many conversations with my dad. Symbolic start: After being drafted 13th overall, Bookers NBA debut took place in Phoenix on Oct. 28, 2015. I dont look back on that. Moreover, Devin has always appreciated this fact since being drafted by Phoenix . Booker has come to embrace the Mexican side of his family as the support of the Valleys culture has driven him to educate himself more on his familys background and learn more about his lineage. After Devins birth, they decided that they would both take care of Devin, but he mostly stayed with his mother, as his father remained busy with his international basketball career. Booker's grandfather immigrated from Nogales, Mexico, to Michigan where the 2020 All-Star ultimately grew up. Its not one culture.. The 2014 McDonalds All-American selection averaged 30.9 points per game in his senior season. Especially with him embracing it, I mean, it brings us more attention toojust knowing that hes Hispanic and hes not afraid to show it.. If you count him as a Mexican, which Im going to do and I think a lot of us will, hes the best Mexican basketball player ever, said Mike Vigil, a third-generation Mexican American who hosts a Suns podcast called The Timeline. Devin Booker 2015-16 Panini Complete Rookie RC #296 Phoenix Suns Pre-Owned $20.00 Seller: matts_cardz (12,281) 100% Buy It Now +$4.95 shipping Sponsored 2015-16 Panini Gold Standard DEVIN BOOKER RC Jersey /149 BGS 9 w/ 10 AUTO RPA $349.95 Seller: meets2 (955) 99.6% or Best Offer +$3.95 shipping Authenticity Guarantee 13 watchers Sponsored In a game against the Sacramento Kings in January 2016, Devin scored a season-high 21 points. Rounding out his collection is a 1996 Chevrolet Impala SS finished in black cherry. Devin Booker said he owes his mom the world for allowing him to depart to Mississippi and primarily raising him beforehand. He ended up meeting Devins mother, Veronica, when he was playing for the Grand Rapids Mackers in the 1995-1996 CBA season. Grew up kids life day, Booker said life, Latest hollywood Celebrity & Entertainment News to him. 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