The franchise icon honors his father’s legacy with a symbolic jersey swap while mentoring a rising seven-footer poised to become the next cornerstone of the Suns’ future.
Devin Booker is officially at the doorstep of opening up his 12th season with the Phoenix Suns organization.
The Kentucky alumnus has been fully entrenched as a franchise icon for many years now, and faces new challenges in the 2026-27 campaign.
The 29-year-old addressed several different areas within the build-up to the season - below is a dive into two of the more fascinating claims.
Booker Feels Comfortable With Jersey Number Change
The biggest story of the offseason for Booker rests in making a jersey number change, as he is now wearing #15 - signifying a change in career arc.
The belief has been that this change reflects a shift in mindset, but Booker seemingly feels more at home wearing 15 than he previously did (PHNX).
“When I look in the mirror, the first pictures I’ve seen of me wearing it, I feel back at home.”
Booker cites his father's influence as a major reason behind making the change, as Melvin Booker wore #15 during his career. The Suns' all-time leading scorer also wore #15 during two separate runs to the gold medal for Team USA during Olympic play.
There's much noise from the outside about what this means for Booker's career moving forward, but it truly seems as if the two-guard is reinvigorated and ready to return to the standard that was previously set in the front-half of the 2020's.
Now, Booker is being tasked with glueing together a roster that is largely the same, while also aiding in working in a pair of new faces. This is all while serving as a mentor for the next generation of stars in Phoenix.
Khaman Maluach Receives Hefty Praise Via Booker
Maluach, the 10th overall draft pick last June, is entering year two with incredibly high hopes.
Booker recognizes the growth that the Duke product has put on display over the offseason, even going as far to say that the 20-year-old has "taken the biggest leap out of anybody that I've seen this summer" (Hayden Cilley).
The Suns' franchise player particularly made Maluach's work ethic a central piece of his praise, going into detail on the rising star pushing to put in on-court work together, asking questions, and showing a real desire to grow as a player.
Maluach's arc as a player is arguably the most important piece of the long-term future in Phoenix. The 7-footer is the best chance that the Suns have to cultivating an in-house star in the near future, and a big man taking a leap into stardom would compliment Booker's exploits to a great degree.
