Watch: "I can see a mad baller when I'm looking" - Shaquille O'Neal and Devin Booker engage in hilarious back and forth, Dwyane Wade chimes in
Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker has revealed the motivation behind his incredible performance against the Brooklyn Nets during an interaction with former NBA superstars Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade.
"I heard somebody in the studio tonight say I wasn't gonna have 30 too..." 👀
@DevinBook got some motivation tonight from the TNT Tuesday crew https://t.co/ASQvFEbStd
Speaking to NBA legends Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade in the post-game interview, Booker was asked by Shaq if he was annoyed by the fact that he wasn't chosen as an All-Star starter this year. Shaq's question went:
"What I can see is a mad baller when I'm looking. Are you feeling disrespected that you weren't voted as a starter for the All-Star team because right now you're playing like - hey, y'all better put some respect on my name?"
Booker responded to this and also talked about how he used the comments by Wade as his motivation for the game against the Brooklyn Nets. Booker said:
"Yeah, man, I heard somebody in the studio tonight say I wasn't gonna have 30, too. A little birdie told me that, but you know how I am. Who said that up there?"
Wade acknowledged that he was one the who said it and wrote it off as motivation for Booker ahead of the game against the Nets. Wade said:
"Oh, I said that? That was motivation."
Booker dropped 35 points and collected six rebounds against the Nets while shooting the ball better than 56% from the field and a little over 37% from beyond the arc as the Suns won the game, 121-111 against Kyrie Irving and Co.
Booker converted six of his seven attempts from the free throw line and played over 40 minutes as the Suns extended their winning streak to 11 games and are sitting at the summit of the highly competitive Western Conference.
Is Devin Booker an All-Star this year?
Devin Booker has undoubtedly played at an All-Star level this year for the Phoenix Suns. One of the primary reasons why the Suns have the best record in the league and are sitting at the top of the Western Conference is because of the exploits of Booker. He has forged an incredible backcourt partnership with Chris Paul and their tandem is the perfect combination of a scorer and a floor general.
Booker is currently averaging 25.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists while shooting the ball better than 44% from the field and 38% from the perimeter. He is also shooting 86% from the line and continues to show why he is a professional scorer who can put the ball in the basket from anywhere on the floor.
Devin Booker is the first player in @Suns franchise history with multiple games of 45+ points, 5+ rebounds and 5+ assists.
1/17/22: 48 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, at SAS
3/24/17: 70 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, at BOS https://t.co/hi2PPy1uff
Devin Booker's defensive skills are also being showcased this season as he is averaging one steal on a nightly basis. While he isn't a great defensive player, he is clearly putting in the effort on the defensive end of the floor.
Booker has scored 30 or more points on 15 different occasions this season for the Suns and has been one of the most consistent players for the team. He has also recorded two double-doubles for Phoenix this campaign.
With Steph Curry and Ja Morant being picked as the starting backcourt for the West in the NBA All-Star Game, Devin Booker has every right to feel hard done by because of his exclusion.