Suns’ Devin Booker forever a protégé of Bryant.

Late legend continues to impact Suns star guard

Kobe Bryant’s memorial brought this basketball children together Monday morning at STAPLES Center. Russell Westbrook. Stephen Curry. Kyrie Irving. James Harden. And Devin Booker.

Out of all the current NBA players who made their way to Los Angeles for this star-studded homage featuring Michael Jordan, Beyonce, Shaquille O’Neal, Diana Taurasi and Alicia Keys, Booker may have felt Bryant’s impact the most.

See, Bryant saw something in Booker he may have not seen in himself. By writing “Be Legendary” on Booker’s shoes, Bryant told the one who became known as Young Kobe for his scoring mentality that greatness is within him.

So, whenever Booker believes he can’t do or give more, or grind harder, he’ll receive a heavenly pat on the butt from Bryant and reminder he has plenty left in the tank.

Booker has taken Bryant’s death harder than anyone will ever know.

There he stood on the FedExForum court hours after Bryant died Jan. 26 in a tragic helicopter crash with his oldest daughter Gianni and seven others with tears streaming down his face.

Like many NBA players, the court is Booker’s haven and no other place he’d rather be.

That night may have been an exception.

Booker left Memphis wearing a black hoodie with his head down, grieving the loss of Bryant. Like Jordan said Monday, a piece of everyone including Booker died that day.

His mind and heart likely raced back to the last time he saw Bryant when Bryant brought Gianni’s AAU team to Phoenix for a tournament.

Booker spoke to the team and spent some quality time with his idol. That’s a forever memory.

If Booker’s blessed to have a daughter one day, he’ll have that same love for her as Bryant had for his because he saw up close how special that bond can be.

Since Bryant’s death, Booker has admitted to having daily thoughts about him. He’s kept playing, but you could sense a numbness with him even days after the tragedy.

Those continual emotions reached another level when Booker received the call to replace an injured Damian Lillard in the 2020 NBA All-Star game in Chicago.

No one should wish injury on anybody. No one. Lillard was as deserving as anyone to play in that game because he’s a great player and was fire, but Booker needed that all-star moment and not only because he had been snubbed.

That’s happened to the best of them.

However, the entire all-star weekend iwas going to be all about Bryant and celebrating his life.

For Booker to make his first all-star appearance on a weekend in the house Bryant’s idol, Jordan, built meant more to him than anyone will ever know.

He got the chance to be viewed as one of the game’s greatest and plant a significant seed in becoming what Bryant believed he could be. Legendary.

He paid tribute to Bryant and his daughter with a personalized jacket for pregame. Then went out and had a follow up dunk and took eight shots in 19 minutes.

Bryant probably would’ve jumped out of his seat seeing that dunk, and later shouted “keep shooting young fella,” because that’s exactly what he did on that ultimate stage.

Booker was once again Monday in an arena with basketball royalty and thousands of others who have the same passion and love for the man who made his mark way beyond basketball.

Bryant is no longer here, but he’ll continue to inspire and motivate all his basketball children to seek greatness. Russ. Steph.

Kyrie. James.

And D-Book.