Booker's Symbolic Switch
Phoenix Suns Star Devin Booker Switches Jersey to No. 15, Signaling New Chapter and Tribute
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Key Points
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Suns owner Matt Ishbia publicly rejected any idea of trading Booker, saying: “I’ll ride into a fire with Devin Booker, and I’ll do it proudly.”
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Booker’s No. 15 is explicitly linked to his father’s Missouri legacy: Melvin Booker wore No. 15 at the University of Missouri in the early 1990s and earned Big Eight Player of the Year honors in 1994.
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Several sources highlight how No. 1 will be hard to replace because it is tied to major signature games—especially Booker’s 70-point performance against the Boston Celtics on March 24, 2017.
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One outlet adds a “fun fact” context: Booker joins a small group of players who previously wore No. 1 and later switched numbers, including Ced Ceballos, Amar’e Stoudemire, and Goran Dragić.
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Beyond the number change itself, ESPN’s reporting timing places it amid Suns front-office planning and roster chatter—Phoenix is described as being relatively quiet while GM Brian Gregory and coach Jordan Ott map out their second seasons, alongside negotiations involving free agents Jordan Goodwin and Collin Gillespie.
Devin Booker is switching his jersey number from No. 1 to No. 15 ahead of the 2026-27 NBA season, ESPN first reported. The change is a tribute to his father, Melvin Booker, who wore No. 15 at the University of Missouri in the early 1990s and earned Big Eight Player of the Year honors in 1994.
The number also carries personal meaning beyond family. Booker wore No. 15 while winning two Olympic gold medals with Team USA — most recently in Paris in 2024, where he shot a team-best 56.5% from three-point range. Shams Charania, who broke the story, described it as a "meaningful decision" tied to the Suns' next chapter after the Kevin Durant era.
A Father's Number, Worn With Purpose
Melvin Booker was a star at Missouri. In the 1993-94 season, he averaged 18.1 points per game, earned consensus All-American honors, and led the Tigers to an Elite Eight berth, according to Mizzou Athletics. He scored 1,697 career points in Columbia and is a Mizzou Hall of Fame inductee. His son has long credited him as the foundation of his basketball IQ.
Devin Booker is 29 years old. He enters his 12th NBA season as the all-time leading scorer in Suns history. Multiple outlets note the age parallel: Kobe Bryant was also 29 when he switched from No. 8 to No. 24 — a number change that preceded the best stretch of Bryant's career, per Basketball Reference.
No. 1 Leaves Behind a Loaded Legacy
No. 1 is not just a number in Phoenix. On March 24, 2017, Booker scored 70 points against the Boston Celtics — still the highest-scoring game in Suns history. It remains the defining image of his career. "No. 1 is different," wrote Kyle Koster. "It will take an adjustment period for fans who have only seen him in anything else."
The number also carries the weight of near-misses. Phoenix fans associate No. 1 with the 2021 NBA Finals collapse and a Game 7 loss to Dallas in 2022. Some fans view the switch as a way to "clear the ledger," according to Newsweek. Booker joins a short list of Suns players who changed numbers mid-tenure, including Amar'e Stoudemire, Cedric Ceballos, and Goran Dragić.
Suns Owner Pledges Full Commitment to Booker
The number change comes after a rocky 2025-26 season. Phoenix finished 45-37 under first-year coach Jordan Ott and lost in the first round to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Owner Mat Ishbia held a press conference on April 30 and shut down all trade talk directly. "Devin Booker is not getting traded," he said. "I'll ride into a fire with Devin Booker, and I'll do it proudly," per Arizona Sports.
Ishbia's comments came as GM Brian Gregory enters his second full season running the roster. The Suns are navigating luxury tax limits while building around Booker alongside players like Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks. Free agent talks with Jordan Goodwin and Collin Gillespie are also ongoing, according to azfamily.com.
New Number, New Chapter — But Title Questions Remain
Analysts frame the switch as more than a branding update. Booker is approaching 30 with roughly $224 million left on his supermax contract. The No. 15 ties together his Olympic identity, his father's legacy, and a Suns rebuild that is quietly underway. Local Phoenix media call it a "soft reset" — a way to keep the franchise fresh without moving its cornerstone.
The jersey change will also drive real revenue. Booker's No. 1 has been the top-selling jersey in Arizona for nearly a decade. Fans who own it will likely buy the new No. 15 edition. But the bigger question remains unanswered: can the new number bring Phoenix a championship? "It will take a major postseason breakthrough," one analysis noted, "for fans to see him the same way in No. 15," per The Olympian.
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