Getty Suns stars Kevin Durant and Devin Booker
During an exclusive interview with Logan Murdock of The Ringer, Phoenix Suns shooting guard Devin Booker talked about his admiration for small forward Kevin Durant.
“I had that man on my wall, man, growing up,” Booker said. “I had a Fathead of Kev. … I always said he was my favorite player. We played against each other, and that was my thing coming into the league. When I get to play against my idols, I try to treat every game the same, but I’m going to bring a little extra that night, a little extra physicality. I just want people to feel my presence, and I think he had a high respect for that.”
Before the Suns acquired Durant from the Brooklyn Nets, KD and Booker already had a relationship, which helps explain why the two superstars have looked unstoppable together on the court. Phoenix has lost only one game (in the regular season and playoffs) with Durant and Booker in the lineup.
“I know his game; he knows mine,” Durant said. “So there’s going to be times where it’s going to be his game. There’s going to be times it’s my game, but when you got guys with no ego, selfless, just care about balling, care about winning, it don’t really matter.”
The Suns are up 3-1 against the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the playoffs. Booker is averaging 34.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.5 assists, while Durant is putting up 27.8 points, 8.0 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game.
Devin Booker on Kevin Durant: ‘He’s a Champ’
Durant is a two-time champion and two-time Finals MVP. With the help of Booker, Durant could win his third title soon.
“He’s a champ; he has a résumé,” Booker said. “You hear people talk top 10, top five to ever play the game, and at this point, it’s adding hardware for him. I know another championship will help justify that, and our job is—all of us, we all want it that bad—to do it for each other. And I believe that we have the talent to do it, we have the system to do it, and all it is now is just doing it.”
If the Suns beat the Clippers, they will face the winner of the Denver Nuggets-Minnesota Timberwolves series. The Nuggets are expected to win that series since they are up 3-1.
Kevin Durant: ‘I Want to Play Until I Can’t No More’
Durant, who is 34 and turns 35 in September, wants to play until he “can’t no more.”
“I want to play until I can’t no more, man,” Durant said. “A title is incredible, but what it’s going to mean to me as an individual? I want to win a title for a city, for my teammates, for the organization. Is it going to get me more notoriety, more attention, a ring? It’s not really about me. That’s how I look at championships. So I want to do this together. I’m looking forward to going on the journey with these guys.”
Durant is one of the best players in NBA history. He’s fourth all-time in points per game and 13th in points. The 13-time All-Star and four-time scoring champion has career averages of 27.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists.