Suns star Devin Booker surprises special-needs student with trip to NBA draft lottery

His name is Noah Smith.

He’s seated on the left side of a crowded gymnasium at Navarrete Elementary in Chandler. Noah wears glasses, competes in the Special Olympics and has no idea Suns guard Devin Booker is outside, sitting in his car, ready to pop in and surprise him.

The Suns put on a fitness exhibition Friday. Shortly after 2 p.m., about 400 students entered the gymnasium. Many wore Suns T-shirts and jerseys with the surnames of Phoenix past. Stoudemire. Nash. Barkley.

Former Suns center Steven Hunter talked to the students about the importance of playing sports and eating breakfast. The Gorilla – the organization's popular mascot – and the Solar Squad led a dance competition.

Then Suns broadcaster Jon Bloom informed the students he had a surprise. From the back of the gym, Booker walked in.

As students screamed, the second-year guard – not yet 21 – walked to the front. Bloom asked Booker questions about Tuesday’s NBA draft lottery, during which the Suns will learn their selection in June’s draft.

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Booker represented the Suns at last year’s lottery. He volunteered to do so again next Tuesday in New York.

“I think you have a lucky charm you want to bring with you, is that right?” Bloom asked.

“I do,” Booker said. “Last year, one of my close friends, Jenna Warren, joined me. This year – it’s actually why I’m here – I want to invite Noah Smith to join me.”

From his spot on the floor, Noah bolted up and walked quickly to the front of the gym. He knew something neat was happening, but he wasn't sure what.

“Are you excited?” Booker asked.

Noah, 11, is a Suns fan. He got it from his oldest brother Brad, the die-hard type who grew up muting the television during games so he could listen to local legend Al McCoy on the radio. Brad isn’t sure when his love for the Suns sprouted, but he’s seen a photo of his dad holding him as a baby. In the picture, Dad is wearing a Suns T-shirt, while baby Brad is wearing a Suns onesie.

So, yes, this runs deep.

Naturally, the family passed the Suns love on to Noah, the youngest of five boys. A fifth-grader, Noah has had challenges most of his life. His mother, Karen, put it like this:

“When you have children, you go to the hospital and you think you’re going to take them home and then you're told, ‘We don’t know if he is going home.’ And you’re told that 12 hours after he was born.”

Noah has Microdeletion syndrome, a genetic chromosomal disorder. In the beginning, the Smiths said they were told their son wasn’t going to walk, talk or have a life worth living. Their response: “Oh, no. That’s not what’s going to happen in our world.”

Noah had open-heart surgery. He underwent three cranial procedures, one requiring the skin on his forehead peeled back so doctors could rearrange his forehead plates. As a result, Noah’s development was delayed – he didn’t walk until he was 2 1/2 – but he’s persevered in his own way, learning from his brothers, competing in Special Olympics, watching the local basketball team.

On a late March weekend, after Booker had experienced a historic night in Boston, Brad, 23, visited his parents’ house and the first thing Noah said to him was, “Booker had 70 points!”

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Because of that night and many others, Booker is approaching star status in the Valley. He’s young, talented and rich. His future is bright. He could be off doing a million things this summer, but this is close to his heart. Booker has a special-needs sister, but his affection doesn’t stop there.

Last year, Booker took Warren, a teenager with Down syndrome, to the draft lottery. On April 9, as he finished warming up before the Suns’ final home game of the season, he passed a ball to a young child, who showed off his dribbling skills on the main court at Talking Stick Resort Arena.

To Booker, this comes with the responsibility of who he is, what he represents. In one way, he remembers what it was like at their age, looking up to local athletes. In another, he understands this is a way he can thank the Valley for embracing him the past two years. He has built a relationship with Warren and he hopes to do the same with Noah and his family.

Karen Smith said having Noah has changed their lives. For obvious reasons, yes, but also in other ways. Noah taught them to slow down, to breathe and to celebrate life’s victories, both big and small.

The same lesson can be applied to a professional athlete. Through 82-game NBA seasons, grinding in the gym day after day, Booker admitted: It's easy to lose perspective.

“It’s hard sometimes,” he said. “You get caught up in the losses and winning games and everything like that, so you kind of lose that, but once you do events like this you realize how important it is.”

Contact Doug Haller at 602-444-4949 or at doug.haller@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him at Twitter.com/DougHaller.