BEFORE THE NBA
Devin Booker
Devin Armani Booker was born on October 30, 1996 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His parents are Veronica Gutierrez and Melvin Booker. His father played professionally in the NBA and overseas.
As a teenager, Devin Booker spent his summers in Italy, where his dad had been playing for Olimpia Milano. As an NBA player, Devin Booker’s dad averaged 5 points and 2 assists for his short career.
Booker attended Moss Point HS in Mississippi. His sophomore year, he scored an amazing 54 points in a game. As a junior, he was Gatorade Player of the Year in his state. He averaged almost 31 PPG as a senior. He finished his HS career with the most points scored at Moss Point with 2,518. He was a McDonald's All-American and played in the Jordan Brand Classic.
After HS, Booker enrolled at the University of Kentucky, where he played only one year. In 2014-15, he was the SEC Sixth Man of the Year as a freshman. He was selected that year to the SEC All-Freshman team and was added to the 14-15 All-SEC second team.
That season he led Kentucky in three-pointers made per game (1.5) and was second on Kentucky in three-point percentage
Booker helped lead the Wildcats to the 2015 NCAA Tournament Final Four. After he declared he was ready for the pros, Devin Booker soon became the 13th overall pick for the Phoenix Suns in 2015.
Now, let’s look at the other side of the NBA player comparison for Devin Booker.
Gilbert Arenas
Gilbert Jay Arenas, Jr. was born in Los Angeles, California. He attended Grant High School in LA where he averaged 28 PPG, 7 RPG, 4 AST, and 4 STL throughout his career. His 2,124 total points for Grant High was a school record and one of the highest totals in City Section history at the time.
The summer before his senior year there were rumors surrounding Arenas when he played in a summer league tournament for a different high school. The school was Sylmar, and there was an accusation Arenas made where his Grant High coach gave him an ultimatum, saying, “If Arenas played for another school this summer, he would not be welcome back on the Grant team in the fall.”
He finished his career at Grant High.
As a Wildcat at AZ, he averaged almost 16 points and four rebounds. He dished out two assists a game in college. From the field he shot almost 47%.
His accolades include All Freshman PAC-12, 2000-2001 All PAC-12, and NCAA All Region.
In the 1999-200 NCAA tournament, he scored 16 points vs. Jackson State and 21 vs. Wisconsin. The next year, he helped lead Arizona to the NCAA Championship.
After his amazing NCAA run, Arenas declared for the NBA Draft, where he was selected by the Golden State Warriors with the 31st pick in the second round.
NBA STATS AND ACCOLADES
What does Basketball Reference say?
What does Land of Basketball say?
What does StatMuse say about Devin Booker and Gilbert Arenas?
Comments