Cameron Boozer had enormous shoes to fill in Durham as the successor to Cooper Flagg, the youngest No. 1 overall pick since LeBron James in 2003. And while Boozer isn’t quite the generational player Flagg is, he seamlessly slid into the starring role for a Blue Devils program that’s made a habit of contending for national titles despite rostering plenty of one-and-done standouts.
As expected, Boozer proved to be that caliber of NBA prospect and officially graduated to the next level on Tuesday night when the Memphis Grizzlies selected the forward with the thirdoverall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor described the 6-foot-8 Cameron Boozer, the son of former NBA veteran Carlos Boozer, as “the most polished player in the class” in his June 22 mock draft:
“He scores from the post with both footwork and power, hits 40% of his 3s on high volume and has enough handle to run the offense as a point forward. He shifts between those modes based on what the defense gives him, and that adaptability led to a 35-win season at Duke and being named Naismith Player of the Year.”
“… With the bloodline of two-time All-Star Carlos Boozer, the team that drafts him is betting that skill, adaptability and a track record of winning at every level all lead to superstardom.”
Now, he’ll join a Grizzlies team that struggled to a 25-57 record last season and finds itself at a crossroads after the implosion of the Ja Morant-Jaren Jackson Jr. era. The former has already been dealt to the Utah Jazz, while the former’s contract seems to be hurting Memphis more than help.
Boozer gives the Grizzlies a new keystone and should arrive as one of the most polished rookies in a stacked draft class. BYU star AJ Dybantsa went first overall to the Washington Wizards, while the Utah Jazz took Darryn Peterson second.
Boozer averaged 22.5 points, an ACC-leading 10.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game. He shot 55.6% from the field, 39.1% from 3 and 78.9% from the free-throw line.
Along with his twin brother, Cayden Boozer, a playmaking guard who has returned to Duke for his sophomore season, Cameron Boozer drew national interest as a highly touted recruit. They turned heads at Florida’s Christopher Columbus High School, also the alma mater of Las Vegas Raiders rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who went No. 1 overall in this year’s NFL Draft.
Despite growing up in Miami, the Boozer brothers chose Duke, where their father went to school, over Miami as well Florida and Kentucky.
Throughout high school, Cameron Boozer was a consensus top-three recruit. He was named the 2023 Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year at just 15 years old and won that award again two years later. Together, he and his brother took home four straight state titles at Columbus.
To top off their illustrious high school career, they earned a national title at 2025 Chipotle Nationals.
Unfortunately for the storied sibling duo, it came up short of that prestige at the college level this past season. Duke collapsed versus a national title-game bound UConn squad in the Elite Eight, with Cayden Boozer ultimately committing an ill-fated turnover that set the stage for the Huskies’ stunning game-winner.
Cameron Boozer declared for the draft the following month. He was widely projected to go in the top three — and for good reason.
He’s coming off one of the most prolific freshman seasons to date. Boozer became the ACC Rookie of the Year, the ACC Player of the Year and the consensus National Player of the Year in his lone season with the Blue Devils.
He scored 20-plus points in 23 of his 38 games, eclipsing the 30-point mark four times. Boozer helped Duke win ACC regular season and tournament titles and enter the NCAA tournament as a No. 1 seed.
Boozer’s father exceeded expectations as a second-round pick who went No. 35 overall in 2002. He played a combined 15 seasons for the Cleveland Cavaliers (2002-04), Utah Jazz (2004-10), Chicago Bulls (2010-14) and Los Angeles Lakers (2014-15), averaging 16.2 points and 9.5 rebounds per game.
Even more will be expected of his son Cameron, a potential needle-mover for the Grizzlies.
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