Devin Booker puts comparisons of his idol, the late Kobe Bryant, to rest. The Suns guard tells ESPN that the comparison hasn’t even graced his mind.
Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker isn’t really interested in the Kobe Bryant comparisons. In fact, he hasn’t even given it much thought.
On Monday, Booker joined ESPN’s The Jump, where he was asked about whether or not he was a fan of the comparison to his idol and mentor, Kobe Bryant.
Here’s what Book had to say about the comparison:
Booker himself is not comparing himself to Kobe, but he does take from his “Mamba Mentality”
Booker has been an avid fan of Bryant, being heavily inspired by his style of play. He had a standout performance in Game 6 against Bryant’s former team that was reminiscent of the Black Mamba, and he even mentioned in the postgame presser that Kobe was on his mind the whole game.
His shoe game has been one to remember as well, wearing Kobes throughout the NBA playoffs. For Booker, it’s just paying homage to his mentor, and the comparisons are not even on the table for him to entertain.
The 24-year-old All-Star, who had a pretty cut-and-dry response to the Kobe talks, added this to the conversation:
“I know it’s something that everybody has going on right now. I didn’t make that comparison myself, and I just leave it at what he’s done for me as a mentor and the advice that he’s left me with. So I try to take bits and pieces of his mentality and his approach, but I should never be compared to Kobe Bryant.”
Booker has dropped 40 points in back-to-back NBA Finals games, but his Suns trail the Milwaukee Bucks 3-2 heading into Game 6 on Tuesday. While he may not want to be compared to the Black Mamba, he won’t shy away from taking his traits and translating it to the court.