Moss Point’s Devin Booker on USA Olympic team, going for second gold medal in Paris

Moss Point High School graduate and Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker was recently added to the USA Olympic basketball team for the second time in his career and will be going for his second gold medal later this summer.

Booker was an NBA All Star this year for the fourth time and named to the All-NBA Third Team after averaging 27.1 points and 6.9 assists over a career-high 36 minutes per game in his ninth professional season.

This is his third opportunity working with Team USA in an Olympic setting, after playing on the select team that trained against the 2016 squad that won gold in Rio de Janeiro.

“This is a dream come true for my son,” Devin’s father and former MPHS star Melvin Booker told the Sun Herald. “I mean, he represents the Booker brand. He pulled out the No. 15, which was my high school and college number, to represent on that stage. It’s just a proud dad moment, but our entire family is excited to see that name on the world stage.”

The Booker family will be in attendance this time around, according to Melvin. The energy is different from the 2020 Olympics held in 2021 in Tokyo due to COVID. According to Melvin, several players opted out and the ones who did compete didn’t have the on-site support of family and friends.

This summer Booker is joining NBA superstars Steph Curry, Anthony Edwards, Joel Embiid, LeBron James and others on Team USA after averaging 9 points and 3 rebounds previously at the Tokyo Olympics.

“This is definitely the best team I’ve played for,” Booker said in a press conference after the first practice under head coach Steve Kerr.

Melvin’s expectations for Team USA are similar to Devin’s goals.

“Like everybody else’s expectations, I feel like we are the best basketball country in the world,” Melvin said. “We have the best players and I just anticipate us bringing home the gold.”

Booker scored 9 points in Team USA’s preliminary-opening 86-72 win over Canada. There will be four more preliminary games before the official Olympic slate begins.

Team USA is in a pool with Serbia, South Sudan and Puerto Rico — led by New Orleans Pelicans point guard Jose Alvarado — in the group phase.

“It’s a great opportunity to get a second (gold medal),” Booker said in a press conference following the win over Canada. “The world’s getting better and we just want to show how good we are.”

Booker — originally from Grandville, Michigan — played his last three years of high school basketball for the Moss Point Tigers before graduating in 2014 as a McDonald’s All-American and played one season at Kentucky where he was named to the SEC All-Freshman team.

His 14,529 career points in the NBA are the second-most by a Mississippi high school graduate, trailing only former Golden State Warrior star and Jackson native Monta Ellis.

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