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“The memories are there but there’s no hate towards Jrue Holiday or Khris Middleton”: Devin Booker opens up about his true feelings playing alongside the Bucks players after losing to his now teammates in the NBA Finals

Advait Jajodia
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"Devin Booker, Holiday and Middleton are true professionals for keeping their word and participating in the Olympics": Draymond Green compliments his USA Basketball teammates for their commitment right after the 2021 NBA Finals

After losing to Milwaukee in the finals, Devin Booker had to team up with the Bucks stars – Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton for their Team USA stint at the 2020 Tokyo Games. The Suns’ guard confirms there is no hate towards the two champions.

This 2020-2021 NBA season was like none other. Even though the season was shortened from a normal 82-game campaign to a 72-game campaign, the year was pretty difficult for each and every team because of the hectic schedules, strict health and safety protocols and lesser rest days.

However, no two teams had a longer year than the Phoenix Suns and the NBA champions – Milwaukee Bucks. Apart from the exhausting regular season, the two teams were not only a part of the long and extremely competitive playoffs but also managed to make it to the physical and mentally draining Finals.

While the exerting 2020-2021 campaign is over for a majority of the players, three athletes – Devin Booker, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday had about 4 days before they had to get their rest, fly all the way to Tokyo and even play their first game for their country against powerhouse – France.

Also Read: When Kobe Bryant spoke about the overall development of the 76ers’ guard in 2019

“The memories are there, but there is no hate towards Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton”: Devin Booker

While Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday ended as the NBA champion, Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker was visibly emotional after his historic debut postseason appearance couldn’t end with him lifting the Larry O’Brien Trophy. To make matters worse for Booker, he had to jump on a private jet with the two opponents who had just handed him the worst loss of his young career.

Despite the jokes and controversies created, Devin has revealed that there is no hate amongst the three players. On Wednesday, after Team USA’s second game against Iran, the Phoenix combo guard finally broke his silence on losing the NBA Finals to his national teammates.

“The memories are there, but it’s nothing personal between us,” Booker said. “We lost and that’s it, and I’m man enough to accept that and move on. There’s no hate towards Jrue or K Mid.”

Also Read: NBA analyst Chris Broussard breaks down the poor performance of Team USA under coach Pop

It truly is great to see the 24-year-old Booker act in such a mature manner. Because there honestly is no reason for any awkwardness or hate amongst the players to exist. Rather, the three superstars have a crucial task in hand to focus on and help each other with- win their country a fourth-consecutive gold medal in the Basketball event at the Olympics Games.

About the author

Advait Jajodia

Advait Jajodia

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Advait Jajodia, a seasoned NBA journalist, has had a passion for the game for over a decade. His journey from admiring Kobe Bryant's precision to being in awe of Stephen Curry's long-range mastery instilled a profound understanding of basketball. With a background as a two-time National-level player, Advait uses his experience on the hardwood to offer insightful analysis. Over three years of dedicated sports journalism has equipped the 21-year-old with a unique perspective, reflected in his prolific portfolio of 3,350+ articles.

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