When you’re the third overall pick in the NBA Draft, the noise never stops. Everyone wants a piece of your future, your potential, your next move. But Cameron Boozer just got something most 18-year-old rookies don’t have immediate access to: a veteran’s reality check from his own father.
Carlos Boozer, who spent 13 seasons in the league after being selected 35th overall in 2002, caught up with his son and TMZ Sports on June 25, 2026, right after Memphis selected Cameron in the lottery. And instead of pumping him up with talk about stats, contracts, and playoff dreams, the elder Boozer offered something far more grounded: a philosophy on how to actually survive and thrive in a professional sport that’s designed to pull your focus in a thousand directions at once.
“My biggest advice would be to be where your feet are. Just enjoy the process,”Carlos said. That’s the kind of wisdom you can’t find in a coaching manual. It’s the stuff that separates players who flame out from those who build sustainable careers. The pressure to look backward at past failures or forward to future accolades can paralyze you. Cameron’s getting the inside track on something franchises pay sports psychologists to teach: presence beats projection every time.
The 2026 Wooden Award winner heading to a Grizzlies team that struggled through a 25-57 season in 2025-2026 will need that mental resilience. Memphis is banking on Cameron to move the needle, but his old man’s advice suggests the real work isn’t about stats or expectations. It’s about showing up, owning the moment, and letting the rest follow. As Carlos put it with obvious pride: he and the entire family are excited to see Cameron’s journey unfold in Memphis. But the journey, he’s already learning, matters more than the destination.
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.