Devin Booker: ‘I should never be compared to Kobe Bryant’

Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker offered a humble but blunt opinion when asked about recent comparisons of his play to that of the late Kobe Bryant.

Booker spoke with NBA analyst Richard Jefferson on ESPN’s “The Jump” about his strong performance in the 2021 NBA Finals but dismissed the idea that he was in the same category as the legendary Los Angeles Lakers guard.

“Yeah, I haven’t really thought about it much,” Booker said. “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.”

In four of the first five games of this year’s finals, Booker has been a main source of offense for the Suns and has connected for 42 and 40 points in the last two contests.

During his memorable career, Bryant delivered in the clutch on countless occasions, which was just one aspect of his 20 years in a Lakers uniform.

Booker is currently in his sixth season with the Suns and will need to maintain his current torrid pace if the Suns are to bounce back from their current 3-2 deficit. Helping the Suns win two more games this season could make Booker more amenable to being mentioned alongside Bryant in the future.