EMPIRE OF THE SUNS

Devin Booker got a literal wake-up call to find out he was an All-Star

Feb 15, 2020, 2:55 PM | Updated: Feb 16, 2020, 1:20 pm

(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)...

(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

It’s funny when Devin Booker is talked about in a way where he’s never been an All-Star, because while he hasn’t been, this is actually his fifth year in a row being involved in All-Star Weekend since entering the league.

He was in the three-point competition his rookie, third and fourth year while also doing the skills challenge his second year.

So, the tornado of obligations the weekend presents he’s comfortable with, but this time it’s different as an All-Star.

The news that he was replacing the injured Damian Lillard came to him on Thursday morning, the night after Lillard ruled himself out and shouted out Booker as one of his potential replacements. Because of the timing, the call actually woke him up.

“It was a tough process,” Booker said Saturday at All-Star media day of the roller coaster as a whole of first being snubbed. “I think commissioner (Adam Silver) was sleeping at the time when Dame had got injured and announced he wasn’t playing. So we had to wait for him to wake. So I got a call, I think 6-7 a.m., that I was in.”

Booker said he went right back to bed after getting the call, woke up to his friends and family over and they celebrated.

While not a pleasant process for the most part, it was one that Booker was able to get something out of.

“I think the positive in being snubbed was my OGs that reached out to me, the people I respect — I got a lot of love and support after it came out that I wasn’t in the game,” he said. “Hearing from those guys that reached out to me was very important, that kept me level-headed, and then they reached back out to me and said, ‘I told you it was a process.'”

From Robert Sarver saying on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station Thursday that Draymond Green told Booker he should take the injury replacement invite if he gets it to Lillard outright saying Saturday he got the vibe Booker wasn’t sure if he was going to go, Booker sure seemed over it and looking forward to “getting off the grid” for a few days to reset.

Alas, he finds himself in the middle of all the madness, and he looks like he’s having the most fun he’s had in a while along the way.

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