Devin Booker might have the most pleasing aesthetic in the NBA. From his soothing nature-pic-filled Instagram feed to his classic car collection–his taste, much like game, is refined. It only makes sense that his first signature shoe matches his understated-yet-stylish vibe.
The Nike Book 1, which the three-time All-Star will debut on the court this season, looks more like an off-court shoe than the ones his peers wear. That’s intentional: the design draws inspiration from the Air Force 1 as well as one of his restored classic cars-a ‘72 Chevy Blazer K5 he nicknamed “Uncle Larry.”
With a new signature shoe, and a new-look Suns team that includes a (healthy) Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, Devin Booker may be shooting for his biggest NBA season yet. GQ caught up with the Suns star to talk about how drawing shoes as a kid prepared him for his new role as a designer, owning a life-size KD Fathead, and how his off-court style is 1-of-1.
Devin Booker: Top of the top when it comes to career accomplishments. Sneakers have always been a part of my childhood. I’ve always dreamed of it. I’d draw sketches and create logos when I was a kid. Now to see it all come full circle and come to life—it’s hard to put into words.
I used to draw a lot, but once NikeID became a thing, I just let loose. I would make a bunch of NikeID shoes and never be able to order them. I would have a cart full of different colorways and different designs—basically like a Christmas wish list.
I was a release date guy. I knew every sneaker that was released every year. I wore a lot of KDs. Especially in high school, which is another full-circle moment now that we’re teammates.
He does know that. I talk about it with him all the time. I know he’s bringing back some retro styles this year. I’ve seen the colors that he’s bringing in the locker room and I’m like “Yo, this is nostalgia right here. I would have fought somebody for these a few years ago, and now I’m sitting right next to you.”
Very involved. We started looking for a theme or a phrase for the shoe, and the consistent theme was “future classic.” We wanted something that would be able to live 20 years from now. I wanted it to feel collected with all the materials. It’s a classic silhouette, but I’m more excited for people to feel the performance of them. We are trying to transcend off the court, and make a shoe. Not just a lifestyle shoe, not just a basketball shoe, but something people can feel comfortable rockin’ around, and playing basketball if they feel like doing that too.
I drew inspiration from all Kobe models, but especially the ones I’ve been playing in the past few years—Kobe 4, 5, and 6. They had a designer on the team named Eric Avar who started at Kobe 4. They have a thing on [Nike] campus, called Nike DNA, where they keep all the archived pieces—things that have never seen the light of day. It’s my favorite room on the entire campus. I just sit there, and it’s like class. They broke down each person’s line, and I was in there with Eric, and he broke down Kobe’s inspiration all the way through his line. It was a really special moment for me. The shoes are obviously totally different. Kobe wanted to use technology as the design, and my technology is on the inside with a classic mold on the outside.
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I try to make it easier on myself and do my own proper fitting at the start of each month, so I have looks together, but nothing definite, because you never know what that day is going to bring. It’s more of a mood thing. Whenever I wake up from my pregame nap—however I feel.
I’d say my rings are staples. If I don’t have one or I forget one in my locker—I feel like I’m naked. I don’t wear much jewelry, so the little pieces I have and my little hoops are the most consistent.
Yeah, it also depends on mood. It depends on what the weather is like. If we’re on a win streak, I might bring out some jewelry. Obviously, in the bigger or more fashion-forward cities, you like to put on a little bit. I like to do uniform dressing, so I try to keep it consistent all the way through.
Just inspiration from the past. That was the time in the past where everybody brought out their suits. Usually Game 1 I like to get proper, and put a button-up on—maybe a suit—and drive one of my classic cars in.
I got two new Chevy Blazers. ‘72 Chevy Blazers. All original colors. One is like a mustard yellow, and the other is a forest green. They are two I’ve been looking for a long time, and I found them.
We have some cool cats on the team. They’re comfortable. I love what KD is doing now. He’s smooth and comfortable everywhere he goes. We have a new team, so I have to see how these guys dress. I’ll let you know next year.
I’d say the competition level. I’ve been a big fan of those guys for a really long time, so just seeing how they operate. Iron-sharpens-iron mentality. Just keep it highly competitive between us. I know we all have a great deal of respect for each other. But we plan to keep pushing each other. I think that’s the domino effect, and everyone else will follow suit if they see us all getting after it.
It’s hard to put into words. A guy I have a great deal of respect for, and always have. I don’t know if this is public information, but I used to have a Fathead of him in my room. I used to go to sleep looking at KD every night on my wall. Now we’re teammates. I also have a tweet from 2011 or 2012 where I said KD is my favorite player, so all just real full-circle moments. I take it in and embrace it. It’s something 20 or 25 years ago I would have thought was crazy as hell.
