Devin Booker Journey to Embrace His Mexican Roots Endears Him to Basketball Fans
Devin Booker is more than just a basketball player for the Phoenix Suns. He is someone who wears his heritage like a badge of honor on and off the court. Booker’s presence in the NBA is an important moment of representation for Mexican-Americans. There are currently a very small number of Latinos playing in the NBA. Here is why he matters and how his presence is electrifying the Phoenix Suns fanbase.
Devin Booker is bringing Mexican representation to the NBA
Booker is a star NBA player with the Phoenix Suns in Arizona. Over the years, he has been a household name in the league and has helped Latino fans see themselves represented in the game. For years, the NBA has worked at making games inclusive for its Latino fanbase, and players like Booker are providing the kind of representation that is making it happen.
Like so many people, Booker knew of his Mexican heritage but never fully explored it. His maternal grandfather immigrated to Michigan from Nogales, Mexico. He has opened up about his relationship with his grandfather and how impactful it was for him.
“My relationship with my grandfather was unbelievable,” Booker said in an NBA profile. “He was very supportive of everything that I did and still do today. A couple of things that I learned from my grandfather were about the hard work and dedication to a craft. Also, being the support for your family and being the backbone of your family, and how important that is.”
Getting to play for the Phoenix Suns gave Booker the chance to embrace and explore his Mexican heritage. Booker and the Suns have created a star player and city relationship that has given Latino fans of the team a chance to feel fully embraced.
“If you count him as a Mexican, which I’m going to do and I think a lot of us will, he’s the best Mexican basketball player ever,” said Mike Vigil, the host of a Suns podcast called The Timeline, told The Ringer. “If you just acknowledge it from that perspective, then, then maybe it is OK to make it a bigger deal.”
His own journey embracing his heritage is a source of pride for fans
Throughout his professional career, Booker has leaned into his Mexican heritage. His own ability to publicly embrace a heritage he never felt fully connected with is an exciting experience for fans. The emotional understanding of watching someone like us become a household name in basketball carries a pride that everyone can sign onto.
“Imagine the pride of having your team have a guy score 40 points in a playoff game, and he has Latino blood? Mexican blood like you?” Arturo Ochoa, who has called Suns games since 2004, told The Ringer. “Imagine how I have to paint that picture over the airwaves so that those who listen to us, who are Mexican, so that they can feel proud of a guy who shares their blood being an NBA star and who might be the most important player in the city since Larry Fitzgerald.”
Now, as Booker gets ready for the 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend, more basketball fans can tune in to watch a Mexican man dominate the court.
