Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker appeared to refute the report that coach Mike Budenholzer told him to "tone down" how vocal he was on the court and during timeouts. Chris Haynes reported on Friday that Budenholzer called Booker a few weeks ago and left Booker "shocked" by telling him to "tone it down."
"Nah, Coach said it, too," Booker told the media on Sunday. "We've had multiple conversations. I can't seem to find one that sticks out more than the others. It's a player/coach relationship. When things start going bad, everybody tries to point fingers to find out what's wrong. People are going to come up with stuff. The relationship is great. We're on the same page, we're trying to win and that's that."
Devin Booker on Chris Haynes report that Mike Budenholzer told him to "tone done" his voice and that Booker was shocked by it: "Nah, Coach said it, too. We've had multiple conversations. I can't seem to find one that sticks out more than the others. It's a player/coach… pic.twitter.com/FOGpXH37sN
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) March 2, 2025
Booker's comments seemed to echo Budenholzer's response to the report the day before.
"Devin and I have lots of conversations," Budenholzer told reporters on Saturday. "I think it's super healthy. Internally, some of this stuff have been shared with me. Usually I'm naive or in a cave, but Devin's care factor is off the charts. Devin always starts with himself, he's always pushing all of us to be better. Devin's awesome, and his communication is awesome, his style is great."
Booker noted that he is "always" going to keep injecting his voice to try and help his team. "Me being around for a little bit now, just trying to implement my voice, in the right spots and the right times," he said. "And I'm going to continue to do so."
Booker and the Suns will take on the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday evening.
More of the Latest Around the NBA
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Devin Booker Comments on Relationship With Mike Budenholzer Amid Report of Tension .
