Nurkic alleges Booker’s negativity prompted Budenholzer to silence him at Suns camp

Jusuf Nurkic has provided an account of a tense interaction at Phoenix Suns NBA camp, alleging that Devin Booker exhibited extreme negativity and criticism towards teammates upon arrival. According to Nurkic, Booker’s initial attitude was characterised by a pervasive sense of dissatisfaction, with every practice session marked by remarks suggesting that players were not good enough or should not be playing basketball.

The centre noted that while these comments were initially disregarded by the group, the underlying attitude appeared to shift significantly. Nurkic described a situation where Booker seemed to have "lost his compass," displaying an indifference to how his actions affected others within the team environment. He emphasised that this lack of care for team cohesion was the most critical issue arising from the behaviour.

The incident came to a head during a video meeting attended by between 15 and 18 players and coaches. Head coach Mike Budenholzer was reviewing performance clips with the group when Booker attempted to interject. Budenholzer listened to the point Booker was making before issuing a direct instruction to halt his participation in the discussion.

Budenholzer told Booker, “Please do not speak anymore in these meetings so my assistants can talk.” The directive was intended to allow the coaching staff to address the group without interruption, marking a clear intervention in the flow of the meeting. Nurkic’s account suggests this moment highlighted the friction caused by Booker’s earlier conduct.

The report, sourced from Hoops Hype and syndicated via Yahoo Sports, presents Nurkic’s perspective on the events. It remains an unverified account from a single source, with no independent confirmation from other attendees regarding the specific nature of Booker’s speech or the broader context of the camp dynamics.