Was Devin Booker mentored by Kobe Bryant? The short answer is yes, but not in the formal sense. Kobe was never Booker’s coach or personal trainer. Instead, he offered advice, encouragement, and a clear model for how to approach the game.
Their connection began when Booker was a teenager in his first NBA season and Kobe was in his last. Over the next few years, the relationship grew through brief meetings, messages, and words of support.
Booker has often described Kobe as his favorite player growing up and a major influence on his career.
For many basketball fans, Booker is one of the clearest examples of a young player shaped by the Mamba Mentality.
This post looks at how the Devin Booker and Kobe Bryant relationship started, what Kobe passed on to him, and whether “mentor” is the right word to describe it.
Growing Up Studying Kobe Bryant
Devin Booker was born on October 30, 1996, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His father, Melvin Booker, played college basketball at Missouri, had short stints in the NBA, and spent years playing professionally in Europe. Basketball was part of daily life in the Booker household from the start.
Kobe Bryant was at the peak of his career during Booker’s childhood. By the time Booker was in middle school, Kobe had won three titles with the Lakers and was on his way to two more in 2009 and 2010. Like many players of his generation, Booker watched Kobe closely and tried to copy his moves in the gym.
What stood out to Booker was not only Kobe’s scoring. It was his footwork, his midrange game, and his attention to small details. Those same traits later became central to Booker’s own style.
Booker played high school basketball at Moss Point in Mississippi and then spent one season at Kentucky, where he came off the bench on a deep roster. Even in a limited role, scouts noted his shooting touch and his calm under pressure.
The Rookie Season Meeting and the “Be Legendary” Shoes
The Phoenix Suns selected Booker with the 13th pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. He was 18 years old and one of the youngest players in his class. That same season, 2015-16, was Kobe’s 20th and final year in the league.
The timing gave Booker a rare chance to share the court with the player he grew up watching. During that season, Kobe gave Booker a pair of his game shoes and signed them with two words: “Be Legendary.” The moment is often pointed to as the start of their bond.
Kobe was known for being selective with his praise, so a personal gesture like this carried weight. It suggested that he saw something in the young guard, whether it was his shooting, his confidence, or the way he handled a heavy role on a rebuilding team.
For Booker, the message became a personal standard. He has spoken about how much the shoes meant to him and how those two words stayed with him as he grew into one of the top scorers in the league.
Advice, Conversations, and the Mamba Mentality
After Kobe retired in April 2016, the two stayed in touch. Booker has described receiving advice from Kobe through conversations and messages. Much of it focused on preparation, work habits, and handling the pressure of being a team’s main scoring option.
Kobe’s core message to young players was consistent. He called it the Mamba Mentality: a commitment to constant improvement, deep study of the game, and refusing to settle for average. He talked often about watching film, learning opponents’ habits, and outworking everyone during the offseason.
Booker took that approach seriously. His game is built on many of the same tools Kobe relied on:
- Precise footwork in the post and around the elbow
- A reliable pull-up jumper from the midrange
- Shot fakes and pivots to create space against tight defense
- The willingness to take difficult shots late in close games
It is important to be clear about what this relationship was and was not. Most of what is known about it comes from short meetings, messages, and Booker’s own accounts. It was not a daily training arrangement. But mentorship does not always need a schedule. Sometimes it is a few honest words from the right person at the right time.
Kobe Bryant’s Public Respect for Booker
Kobe’s support was not only private. He also spoke positively about Booker in interviews, pointing to his skill and his approach to the game at a time when the Suns were losing far more often than they won.
Booker gave plenty of reasons for that respect. On March 24, 2017, he scored 70 points against the Boston Celtics. At 20 years old, he became the youngest player in NBA history to score 60 or more points in a game.
Only a small group of players have reached 70, a list that includes Kobe, who scored 81 against Toronto in 2006.
That kind of recognition from Kobe meant a lot to a young player on a struggling team. Phoenix missed the playoffs in each of Booker’s first five seasons, and he often faced questions about whether his numbers came only because of a weak roster. Kobe’s respect helped frame Booker as a serious competitor, not just a high scorer on a bad team.
After Kobe’s Death: Carrying the Lessons Forward
Kobe Bryant died on January 26, 2020, in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, along with his daughter Gianna and seven others. The loss shook the entire NBA, and Booker was among the players most visibly affected. He shared his grief publicly and spoke about what Kobe had meant to him.
A few weeks later, Booker was named to his first All-Star team. He took part in the 2020 All-Star Game in Chicago, which was played in honor of Kobe and Gianna. For Booker, it was a career milestone that came with mixed emotions.
In the years since, Booker has continued to name Kobe as an influence. He led the Suns to the 2021 NBA Finals and won an Olympic gold medal with Team USA in Paris in 2024.
Through each of those moments, he has been asked about Kobe, and he has kept the “Be Legendary” message close as a reminder of where his approach came from.
So, Was Devin Booker Really Mentored by Kobe?
The honest answer depends on how you define mentorship. If it means a long, structured relationship with regular training sessions, then Kobe was not Booker’s mentor in that sense. Their contact was occasional, not daily.
If mentorship means guidance from an experienced figure who shapes how a younger person thinks and works, then the answer is yes. Kobe gave Booker direct encouragement, a personal message, and a model to follow. Booker took that model and built his career around it.
Three signs point clearly to Kobe’s influence:
- The signed shoes and “Be Legendary” message during Booker’s rookie season
- The ongoing contact and advice after Kobe retired
- The strong overlap in their playing styles and work habits
Booker himself has treated Kobe as a mentor figure, even though the role was never formal. In the end, the impact matters more than the label.
Final Thoughts
Devin Booker and Kobe Bryant shared a short but meaningful connection. It started with a rookie meeting a retiring star and grew into a relationship built on respect, advice, and a shared approach to basketball.
Kobe did not need years of daily training to leave a mark on Booker. A few key moments, a clear message, and a high standard to live up to were enough.
Today, when Booker hits a fadeaway from the elbow or takes the final shot in a close game, many fans see a piece of Kobe in his game. That may be the best answer to whether Kobe Bryant mentored Devin Booker.
