Mark Williams jokes about Devin Booker giving him compensation for jersey number switch

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Devin Booker has made a major decision to switch from his iconic #1 jersey number with the Phoenix Suns to #15. It is his way to pay tribute to his father, Melvin Booker, who wore the number throughout his professional basketball career.

While Booker has been linked to #1 for his entire career, it seems he is willing to part ways with it just to show love to his dad. At the same time, it is a similar jersey number change to the one his idol, Kobe Bryant did when he moved from #8 to #24.

Mark Williams has fun with Devin Booker's jersey number switch

When Mark Williams joined the Suns in 2025, he took the #15 jersey. It was the same number that he used during his time at Duke University, so it was a natural change from the #5 he wore when he was playing for the Charlotte Hornets.

After one season with the Suns and re-signing with the team in the 2026 offseason, Williams has now decided to wear #25 starting in the 2026-27 season.

MORE: Devin Booker has committed to a new jersey number

He had fun with the fact that Booker is now wearing his old number. It seems Williams had no issues parting ways with his number, especially with Booker's reasoning being such a lovely gesture from a son for his father. However, that did not stop Williams from making jokes about it.

"During the year, actually, at one point, he kinda said it in passing. At the end of the year, he said that will happen. We're in negotiations; think of it as going upstairs and talking. We'll agree on something; I'm not worried about that. He said he got me," Williams joked in an interview with the Suns media.

It seems there is a good atmosphere with the Suns at the moment. They were impressive in the 2025-26 season, as they surprised a lot of people when they reached the NBA Playoffs despite losing Kevin Durant.

Now, it seems Booker has assumed the leadership role, and his teammates adore him. Williams seemed to be in good spirits when he was talking about Booker, which shows that there are some good vibes ahead of the 2026-27 season.