Devin Booker: ‘I am inspired by Kobe Bryant and Mamba Mentality, but I am not Kobe Bryant’

The Phoenix Suns have a young superstar on their hands in Devin Booker, and it seems like he’s going to have a long and successful career at the NBA level.

The 25-year-old is often compared to Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, as many folks feel that Booker’s playing style is comparable to Bryant’s.

It’s certainly high praise for any player to be compared to Bryant, but it seems like Booker wants the comparisons to stop.

Bryant finished his legendary NBA career with a long list of accolades. The late great spent 20 seasons in the NBA, and all of them came with the Lakers. The Hall of Famer earned 18 All-Star selections, two scoring titles, one MVP award and five NBA titles.

Booker’s list of accomplishments isn’t quite as lengthy, but he is a two-time All-Star with plenty of good seasons in front of him in the NBA.

This season, Booker is averaging 23.7 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. He’s knocking down 43.7 percent of his shots from the field and 40.9 percent of his shots from 3-point range.

Impressively, he’s doing all of this for a Suns team that currently has the best record in the Western Conference. Phoenix is 32-9 on the season and has won five of its last six.

Meanwhile, the 2021-22 Lakers haven’t found their groove yet. They’re 21-21 on the season and haven’t been able to get out of their own way at times. The hope is that the team will turn things around in the near future.