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Kevin Durant and Devin Booker’s bond extends tonight as All-Star Game teammates

Phoenix Suns stars Kevin Durant (14th appearance) and Devin Booker (fourth appearance) will be representing the Valley tonight in Indianapolis in the 2024 NBA All-Star Game.

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“It’s the best (when you have a teammate participating with you),” Durant said after the Suns’ win over the Pistons Wednesday. “This is an incredible experience. We all thought of being All-Stars as kids. To be expected to be an All-Star every year, that’s who we wanted to be as kids. It’s a moment for the basketball world to celebrate the All-Stars but it’s also a moment for each each family member, each friend that you got coming to really celebrate what you’ve done thus far in your career and this season. It’s always a family type atmosphere when you go to All-Star, that’s the best part about it.”

The duo has been carrying a heavy load in their first full season as teammates, as Durant ranks sixth in the NBA in scoring at 28.2 points per game, while Booker is ninth at 27.5.

Their relationship has been well documented with Booker saying almost every time he gets asked that Durant is his favorite player, so he is grateful to be on the same team as him.

This was evidenced when Durant attended Booker’s sneaker release party for the ‘Book 1’ on Friday night. Durant, who now has 16 years of signature shoes with Nike, was also in the commercial for the shoes.

“We have the same likes in life,” Booker said. “We’re hoops junkies, and that’s where it started. Now, we spend a lot more time together.”

Durant further explained their bond.

“When you get to know your teammates that deep, we almost to the point (where we) know what each other thinking,” Durant said.

Durant named Booker as one of the next faces of the NBA when asked about who will be passed the mantle.

Off-the-court relationship

These two have a bond that has now extended off the basketball court.

“We like to kick it, chill, watch basketball, chill, play video games,” Booker said.

Right after this, Booker was asked if he heard Durant’s feature verse in the new song “Scared Money” by Stalley.

“I did, bars.”

Durant spoke to his and Booker’s off-the-court relationship.

“I hung out with him a lot since I got to Phoenix, and this past summer we worked, obviously,” Durant said. “Us hanging out, playing video games, going out, having a drink, all that stuff,  helps when you have to try to gain chemistry as a team. It’s been great getting to know him.”

Instilling confidence in each other

Booker, at age 27, has been fortunate to learn from some of the best in the game in Chris Paul, now age 38 and Durant, 35.

“Those guys are the blueprint,” Booker said. “They’ve done this already. Crazy part is, they’re still hungry, they’re still doing it. That’s the common theme amongst them all. I try to chop it up with them and talk history, but you can tell they’re still in the moment. They haven’t even realized what they’ve done and the marks that they’ve put on this game. They done did s— that’s forever, that’s gonna be here when we’re all gone. Those are the guys.”

Speaking more on Durant, Booker explained the conversations they have on the court.

“Just motivating each other, challenging each other,” Booker said. “He gives me the ultimate confidence to go out there and do what I got to do. No matter win, lose or draw, I feel like I’ve got somebody behind me that wants me to succeed.”

Durant said Booker also gives him confidence.

“I feel like we both confident players, but when you got that extra support out there to just go do what you do, sometimes you need that especially when you one of the lead guys on the team,” Durant said. “You focus on so much other stuff, your teammates, scheme, strategies and sometimes you need somebody to relieve you of all that stuff and just tell you to go play. I think that’s what we do for one another. Also our coaching staff does that for us as well, and our teammates. When you’ve got support like that, it just makes you a way better player.”

When did Durant realize Booker was going to be so good?

“I think his first year when he would come in and have little spurts off the bench,” Durant said after Booker became the Suns’ second all-time leading scorer Tuesday. “I think we played him earlier in the season, his rookie year. I just remember him having little spurts, leave him open, he hit a 3, or he’d drive to the rim for a layup. You could just see the big glimpses. And then they start playing him more, and he became like, even though he wasn’t an all-star, it felt like he was playing like one. So I want to say probably second year is when I was like, ‘Oh, he’s gonna be around for a while.'”

See the two in action at 6 p.m. MST in the NBA All-Star Game.

Kevin Durant shares who he thinks are next faces of the NBA

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Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau

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