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Cameron and Cayden Boozer among 2026 NBA draft hopefuls playing in holiday tournament

​​​​​​​View Date:2024-12-24 01:37:43

It’s never too early to talk about the future, especially when we’re talking specifically about the future of the NBA. 

This week a handful of top basketball prospects – all of whom will be playing professionally sooner rather than later – will showcase their skills at the Les Schwab Invite, an annual holiday tournament held at Liberty High School just outside Portland. (Nike is also heavily involved in this tournament, which is often a preview of the Nike Hoop Summit.) 

The biggest names making their Les Schwab Invite debut are Cameron and Cayden Boozer, twin sons of former NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer. Both are expected to be lottery picks in the 2026 NBA Draft, and their college recruitment has been closely followed by thousands of diehard hoops fans. Will they follow in their dad’s footsteps and head to Duke? Could Kentucky steal them? 

Along with the Boozer twins, other top players to watch include guards Jase Richardson (signed with Michigan State) and Trent Perry (signed with USC), and 2025 forward Koa Peat. 

Last year, current Oregon freshman Jackson Shelstad led Jesuit, a local powerhouse, to an upset over the nation’s top-ranked high school team, Sierra Canyon (featuring none other than Bronny James). Afterward, Jesuit found itself ranked No. 1 in the country by USA TODAY. 

The tournament tipped off Tuesday, though all of the best prospects, who are traveling from out of state with the teams, don’t start play until Wednesday. You can check out the bracket here. 

Who is Carlos Boozer’s son? 

We’re going to answer this question with another question – which one of his sons are you talking about? 

Carlos Boozer has twin boys, Cameron and Cayden, juniors who are slated to graduate from Miami’s Christopher Columbus High School in 2025. They are considered not only two of the top college prospects in the country but two of the top prospects in the 2026 NBA draft class. 

According to 247Sports.com, the Boozer twins are considering playing college basketball at Duke, Florida, Florida State, Kentucky and Miami, among others.  

Cam Boozer, lottery pick

Of the Boozer twins, Cameron – who goes by Cam – is the better (and bigger) one. A 6-foot-9, 235-pound power forward, Cam Boozer has been praised by scouts for his ability to score in a variety of ways, both with his back to the basket and facing the rim. The word that comes up most when talking about Cam Boozer is "polished." He’s also known for having good hands; he can catch just about everything. 

Cam Boozer is a surefire lottery pick for the 2026 NBA Draft, and might go No. 1 overall. He was favored to be the top selection until AJ Dybantsa, also a 6-foot-9 forward, reclassified to the 2025 class. Now it’s likely that either Dybantsa or Cam Boozer goes No. 1 

Cayden Boozer, also a lottery pick

But don’t count out Cayden Boozer, the smaller of the Boozer twins. A 6-foot-3, 190-pound guard, Cayden has described himself as "a versatile point guard who likes to attack." He told On3.com that he’s definitely headed to college, and doesn’t need G League money, though that’s another route open to him. 

Carlos Boozer’s NBA career

A 2002 NBA draft pick, Carlos Boozer had an impressive professional career after playing at Duke from 1999-2002. Though he wasn’t selected until the second round (No. 35 overall), Boozer had a long NBA lifespan, playing mostly for the Utah Jazz and Chicago Bulls. He was a two-time NBA All-Star, in 2007 and 2008, and averaged 16.2 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists over 13 seasons. 

Boozer retired from professional basketball in late 2017. He last played professionally with the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association. 

Follow Lindsay Schnell on social media: @Lindsay_Schnell

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