Devin Booker Confrontation with Lakers Reportedly Sparked by Brian Shaw Comment

Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker had words with the Los Angeles Lakers bench and had to be restrained by teammate Troy Daniels late in the Suns' 100-93 loss Monday night at Talking Stick Resort Arena.

After the game, Booker only said he was directing his comments toward a coach and didn't go into details, per Scott Bordow of AZCentral.com:

"It was one of the coaches," Booker said, adding that it wasn’t head coach Luke Walton or assistants Brian Shaw or Miles Simon. "I don’t know who it was."

Booker declined to say what was said to him—"I’m not here to tell on anybody"—but in his mind the words were irrelevant.

"If you’re not my coach I don’t know you," Booker said. "Don’t say anything to me."

On Tuesday, however, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 reported that Booker was indeed directing his ire at Shaw:

If Shaw was at the source of the trash talk, it wouldn't be a first. Dan Feldman of NBC Sports reported in December 2016 that Shaw and New Orleans Pelicans center DeMarcus Cousins have traded barbs for years.

And Shaw isn't above giving it to his own players either, as Bill Oram of the Orange County Register wrote in October 2016:

"On Thursday, Shaw drew a dirty look from [Julius] Randle when he teased him for giving up a basket to Yi Jianlian in scrimmage, and jabbed at [D'Angelo] Russell for missing a free throw that meant the entire team had to run wind sprints.

"It’s all part of what Shaw calls 'Mental warfare.'

"'He talks a lot of trash,' Russell said, 'so (we) try to let him feel like he's really saying something. But honestly he has a good meaning behind it, and if you mess up on something he lets you know what you could do better.'"

Booker, meanwhile, posted 36 points in the team's loss.