Devin Booker was the unsung hero of the United States men’s basketball team’s journey to an Olympic gold medal in Paris. The Phoenix Suns star slotted into the team’s starting lineup and embraced a smaller role, one in which he played dogged defense, kept the ball moving, hit shots when they came to him, and did whatever he needed to amplify the other players around him.
It’s led to Booker getting praise from seemingly everyone in the USA Basketball operation, as he took on the most unglamorous role that the team could give someone and made it his own. And on Tuesday, Booker gave fans a glimpse into what life was like for him in Paris, as he released a lengthy behind-the-scenes video on his Instagram account of his experience on the team. You can check out the link for it here.
The video is titled “I’ll Do It,” a reference to a tweet he sent last September after the Americans failed to medal at the FIBA World Cup where he volunteered to take on a smaller role for the U.S. in the Olympics. And it paid off in a big way for both the team and Booker specifically, as Steve Kerr made it a point to shout him out for his performance throughout the tournament.
“Devin Booker is an incredible basketball player,” Kerr said, per Ben Golliver of the Washington Post. “Nobody asked about him. He was our unsung MVP. I just wanted to say that.”