NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: CLIPPERS VS. SUNS

June 30, 2021

Devin Booker

Phoenix Suns

Game 6: Postgame

Phoenix Suns - 130, Los Angeles Clippers - 103

Q. You started at the bottom and now you're here. This team is here. I saw you were coming out you had a look like, wow, like of excitement and all that. What was your feeling during that moment?

DEVIN BOOKER: Just a long time coming. That's what I said to Jay Gaspar, our equipment manager. He's the only one in the organization that's been here longer than me. He's going on year 30. So, he was here and Julie, so Julie has been here also. But it's been a long time coming. We seen the bottom, the bottom of the bottom for multiple years, and just keeping our head down. Waiting on this moment right here. Monty coming in, building the culture, him leading us with the preparation meets opportunity. That was these moments right here, and we took it and we ran with it.

But we still have work to do. This is nice and all but we're going for the Larry for sure.

Q. When you took that shot to the nose, how excruciating was the pain there? Maybe it wasn't but I got to assume it was?

DEVIN BOOKER: Yeah, I mean it hurt a bit. It's still a little tender right now. But well worth it. I'll take that over and over again for this feeling right here.

Playing without the mask, decided to ditch it, and I knew opportunities like this don't come around and I didn't want to take it lightly. So just wanted to be locked in.

Q. When the Clippers went on that 10-0 run in the third, the crowd was going crazy, lead's down to seven and then Chris responds. What was that like to see and experience that?

DEVIN BOOKER: We had a timeout, we came to the huddle and said, don't lose our head. I think we were up 17, they cut it to seven. So we had a game again. But people always been saying, that you hear it since you're a kid, it's a game of runs, and how you respond to those runs can determine the success of a team. So right there you kind of have a decision to make, which way do you want to go? And this group right here I feel like we're tested, and we have been in those situations, especially Chris and Jae, so we locked back in as a team and we got it going. Chris hit a three, put us up 10 again and the rest was history.

Q. The stat that went up after the game was that five previous years for you guys, that's the lowest winning percentage across all five professional sports when the team makes the Finals or makes the championship the next year. How does this feel to do this for the Suns fans that stuck with this team?

DEVIN BOOKER: Yeah, I mean that's a real love. That's a relationship that it's hard to explain with words. I tell people all the time, Phoenix is my third home. And they have embraced me that way since day one. I put my head down, I worked and I've been through a lot of bulls--- honestly. But, just being who I am and seeing the bigger picture, having the tunnel vision you know, what this can be. I’ve seen the parade when they didn't even win the Finals they just made the Finals, 300,000 people out there right in front arena. So the love has been there since I've been here, even when we were at the bottom. Even when we were at the bottom, it still showed up to games, love around the city's always been there. So Phoenix is my city.

Q. There was a lot of family shoutouts so far. I don't know if you talked to your dad already?

DEVIN BOOKER: I talked to him. I talked to my mom already, my sister. Yeah, man, we have been through a lot. Since day one, before the NBA, before that, they stuck behind me all the way. Having their acceptance of me and understanding what I'm going through keeps me driven every day. Putting smiles on their faces, being able to provide for my family, take care of my family, there's no feeling like that. So that keeps me on this everyday pursuit to be legendary for real.

Q. I want to ask you about what kind of workouts does your dad put you through in the off-season and how did he help prepare you to get to this level?

DEVIN BOOKER: Oh, we have done pretty much every workout you could think of. From when I first moved with him to Mississippi, when I moved down to Moss Point, Mississippi. I always had love for the game of basketball, I was always a student of the game, but I wasn't aware of the work that goes into it. So I was always good, but he made me take it the extra mile. He pushed me. I had never been pushed before. I never had the truth told to me at all times. Somebody that is telling the truth out of the goodness of their heart to see you succeed, you can feel that. So it just makes you want to be better every day. But workout-wise, I've done it all.

Q. To build off that question about you and Chris, we heard about reports him being at your pre-draft workout, we heard a lot about what you guys have done together this season. But what about those in-between moments when you guys were going up against each other, how much did you guys talk, how much did you guys know each other as far as getting to a point where Chris is out there saying that the biggest reason I wanted to come here was because of you?

DEVIN BOOKER: Yeah, I mean Chris, like you said, he took us, and me, D'Angelo, Karl pre-draft he came and worked out with us a couple times, and that's how the relationship started. But I thought, I think he thinks when we played against each other the first time that it was going to be a love, but, no, I started talking sh-- to him right away (laughter).

And what he says about we almost get to fighting, because multiple times we have had our disagreements on the court multiple times. And it's just, those type of competitors, the players that you like, I don't like playing against that guy but I love him on my team. And Jae Crowder is also one of them. So I got into it with him too. But those are the ones that you want to go to war with. Those are the ones you want to put the jersey on for and you know when it's not your day, having people behind you, having that support system behind you gives you confidence to keep going.

And just honesty, like what I said with Mark, this group, they have been there before. They have been in these situations before. So the honesty with knowing, knowing what the bigger picture is and what we're trying to get to, that has been since day one and not a problem with us. Just somebody's messing around, let them know.

Q. With all that said so when you got word that the trade might be a possibility or the trade's happening, did you think, okay, yeah, we're both like of cut from the same cloth, this is going to be good?

DEVIN BOOKER: Yeah. Yeah. We had some conversations before and I knew if that went down that he was coming to Phoenix that we were going to be able to make some noise.

Q. Monty was saying that you and Chris have gotten really close throughout this season. How did you see that evolve and work?

DEVIN BOOKER: Well there's zero ego involved. I think that's the most important part. We both want to see each other succeed, we both want the team to succeed, we all want the team to succeed. So when you're all on the same page that way the relationships tend to happen. We spend a lot of time together. We watched a lot of games together. We live right down the street from each other, so we're neighbors. So it just happens with time and going through experiences with each other and just spending real quality time, having real conversations, not just about basketball, about life. And that's how you develop the relationship that we have built and are still continuing to build. This is our first year playing together, so I appreciate him a lot. I've been a sponge to him since the day he got here, before that, but our relationship definitely took off since he's been here.

Q. Chris is obviously a future first ballot Hall of Famer. But what do you think finally getting over the hump, making his first Finals, after 16 years, means to his career and legacy?

DEVIN BOOKER: Chris Paul is stamped regardless. Anything else from here is extra. It's extra, just to solidify. I know he wants it bad. I know he's happy about this for his first time, but I know what he's on the pursuit of and we have that same understanding. We don't talk about it much, but we know what we're trying to get to.

But as far as he needs a ring to be considered -- he's one of the best point guards to ever play the game and that's a fact. And everybody knows that. Arguably the best. So he's put the work in for many years, 16 years. I'm 24. What is that? Eight years old since he's been in? So all I know is Chris Paul. Growing up, I remember I told him I used to go to New Orleans games when I lived in Mississippi and just seeing him play there. So it's been a long time coming.

I wore the man's shoes in high school, throughout my whole high school career. So CP3 is stamped in this game forever.

Q. You talked a lot about how much Chris Paul has meant to your career and your guys' relationship. How did it feel for you to be one of the main reasons that he finally was able to get over the hump?

DEVIN BOOKER: Yeah, I mean, I haven't really thought about that yet and I think we're not over the hump yet. We have bigger plans ahead. But it's crazy, like I said, just watching the games since I was eight years old, since he's been in the NBA, and just being a straight fan to start. Me and my friends would be talking about, like when Chris would leave the house or something, you know I would say, That's CP3. Every time he leaves, That's CP3, That's CP3. So it's kind of strange that just growing up, like literally being a fan boy of him and now being right next to him in the back court, it's just crazy how life comes full circle. But I'm blessed, blessed to be in this position.