When the NBA and WNBA legends teed up on the Jerry Colangelo Golf Classic in Phoenix on Sept. 18, a couple of them opined about Devin Booker's career and the Phoenix Suns' 2026-27 season outlook.
Phoenix Mercury legend Diana Taurasi offered a prediction, and Hall of Famer Paul Pierce empathized with Booker's plight.
Pierce was sporting a green golf shirt filled with shamrocks and matching pants in a clear homage to one of his former teams, the Boston Celtics.
Pierce compared the first 10 seasons of his Hall of Fame career to Booker's tenure.
“You got the foundation," Pierce said to The Arizona Republic. "That’s the key, having the foundation. And Booker is one of the top one or two two-guards in the whole NBA.
"What I used to get frustrated over
(was) that I was the foundation for the Boston Celtics (and) we just happened to keep bringing in new pieces. Like, we build something, we build something, and you got to continue to build."
Pierce, who retired in 2017, went through a flurry of new teammates during the first 10 of his 15 years in Boston. He also played under four different head coaches, winning his only NBA title under Doc Rivers in 2008.
Booker, who enters his 12th season when training camp begins Sept. 29, has played under eight different coaches. That includes four coaches since Booker led the Suns to the 2021 Finals.
Pierce, drafted by Boston in 1998, didn't become an All-Star until 2002, when he made his first playoff appearance, the first of four consecutive postseason runs.
But the Celtics won just 33 games and missed the playoffs during the 2005-06 season.
"We got to the conference finals in like my third year or fourth year in the league and then we regressed," Pierce said. "He (Booker) gets to the Finals and then they (Suns) regress. They move pieces around, and that gets frustrating."
Nicknamed "The Truth," Pierce famously lamented to the media after a game in 2006: "I'm the classic case of a great player on a bad team. It stinks."
After 10 years with the Celtics, including the 2008 NBA title, Pierce was unexpectedly traded, alongside Kevin Garnett, to the Brooklyn Nets in 2013.
Many players and NBA media pundits have said Booker should leave Phoenix to seek a championship.
The Suns missed the postseason from 2010-20, and were one of the league's worst teams during Booker's first four years, beginning in 2015-16.
Things drastically changed for the Suns when Booker helped revive the Suns' winning culture in 2021. After they lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in the Finals, the Suns won their franchise-record 64 wins in 2021-22.
The next year, the Suns dealt veterans Chris Paul and Jae Crowder, Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson and a glut of draft capital to acquire Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal.
The Suns didn't win a postseason series with Durant and Beal, winning 36 games in 2024-25 and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2020.
A new nucleus of Booker, Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green, brought a playoff appearance last season, and through all the changes, Booker has remained loyal.
Pierce understands that Booker is playing for respect in the heavily loaded West.
“I know for especially guys like (him) who want to be recognized amongst his peers, one of the greatest and eventually one of the greatest to ever play the game," Pierce said about Booker. "I mean, what other goals do you have to play the game? And I know he has that drive. So you kind of feel for him.
"When things go up, they come back down, but mentally you just gotta stick with it. But also, Devin is one of the great players who doesn’t get the recognition because of the teams that he’s played with."
Diana Taurasi targets big things for Suns in 2026-27
"We’re making the playoffs," Taurasi told The Arizona Republic with a bright smile as she rode off in a golf cart to the next hole.
Asked Diana Taurasi’s prediction for Phoenix Suns in 2026-27 season:
— Dana Scott (@mr_danascott) September 21, 2026
“We’re making to the playoffs.” (1/2) pic.twitter.com/0gBkI5CL4Z
The Suns open their preseason scheduled at the Detroit Pistons Oct. 5 and the Chicago Bulls Oct. 7.
Phoenix begins the NBA regular season Oct. 21 in Portland.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Paul Pierce sees Devin Booker's similar 'frustrating' path | Exclusive
