Suns’ Devin Booker: Finish the job, that’s what Kobe Bryant would tell me
Jul 8, 2021, 5:00 PM | Updated: 10:50 pm
Devin Booker #1 of the Phoenix Suns leaves the court after the team's win against the Milwaukee Bucks following Game One of the NBA Finals at Phoenix Suns Arena on July 06, 2021 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
(Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
The late Kobe Bryant will always have a special connection with Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker.
And the relationship the two had goes much deeper than just the “Be Legendary” tattoo on Booker’s left forearm.
With the Suns now three wins away from Phoenix’s first-ever NBA championship, Booker has his eyes set on doing what his basketball idol managed to accomplish five times in his Hall of Fame career.
“Finish the job. That’s what [Kobe would] tell me,” Booker told ESPN’s Malika Andrews.
RELATED STORIES
“I know that right now. He’d say get it done and that’s what we’re trying to do.”
The Mamba mentality is one that the Suns guard tries to emulate out on the court.
It’s an attitude and a mindset of giving everything you have and then some more.
It’s holding both yourself and teammates accountable and pushing to the limit in order to achieve the ultimate goal of NBA glory and immortality.
“I’ve reflected on it mostly my whole childhood and my whole career honestly,” Booker said of Bryant’s influence on him. “Just taking bits and pieces of the approach, the mentality, the competitive nature of it.
“Everybody feels that. You don’t have to be a basketball player to understand what Kobe has done for people’s mindset and approach to the game. That’s probably what I’ll take most from him.”
The Suns take a 2-0 lead into Game 3 of the Finals against the Bucks on Sunday. Tip-off is 5 p.m. and all the action can be heard on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Suns Station.
