9781422271520

2

Golden Summer in Tokyo Like athletes in the rest of the world, Booker had to put his Olympic dreams on hold for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020 Tokyo games were postponed for a year, and when they finally began, it was a rocky beginning for Booker in Team USA’s first game. He missed five of the six shots he attempted in a shocking opening-game loss to France but then ramped up his play and helped the American squad reel off five straight wins to claim a gold medal in Tokyo. Three days after that stumble against the French team, Booker was terrific with 16 points during a rout of Iran. Then, in the semifinals against Australia, he struck for 20 points in Team USA’s 97–78 win, as he connected on seven of the 10 shots he attempted. For the six Olympic games—he started in five of them for the talent-laden US squad—he averaged more than nine points and three rebounds while playing an average of just under 21 minutes a game. He shot 42.2 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from behind the three point line. He was also near-perfect from the free throw line, missing just once in 14 attempts.

Devin Booker and Team USA defeated France 87–82 to avenge an earlier loss in pool play and win the gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

13

Chapter 1: Greatest Moments