Inside Cam Boozer's decision to wear No. 27 jersey

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Cam Boozer has been surrounded by family through it all.

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Boozer’s parents, Cindy “CeCe” Blackwell and 13-year NBA veteran Carlos Boozer, would seldom miss a game that involved Cam and his twin brother Cayden.

They were most notably at every NCAA Tournament game the twins played in March Madness at Duke.

And when his parents were watching, Cam was wearing No. 12 — dating back to high school.

So when the Memphis Grizzlies selected Boozer with the No. 3 overall pick of the draft, he, of course, welcomed the opportunity with embrace; the only question was… what number would Boozer choose to wear?

While Grizzlies’ Ja Morant has been involved in trade talks since January, he remains on the roster. He currently claims No. 12 on his jersey. 

That meant Boozer had to pivot. 

The Grizzlies' top pick chose No. 27.

“My mom wore it in college, playing volleyball, so that’s why I chose that number,” Boozer said. 

Blackwell wore No. 27 while playing college volleyball at North Carolina Central University in the early 2000’s.  

Boozer’s mom has been her twins' biggest supporter, showing up to Duke games sporting bombastic outfits to support her children. 

Boozer ready for spotlight

Cam Boozer sat at the center of it all – again. 

At the Memphis Grizzlies’ 2026 NBA Draft introductory press conference, Boozer was placed between his new teammates, Karim López, Richie Saunders and his new coach, Tuomas Iisalo and general manager, Zach Kleiman. 

Two days after being selected by Memphis, the NBA spotlight was thrust upon him.

Perhaps the daunting task of ushering in a new era of Grizzlies basketball could start to set in. Maybe the cracks would start to show. 

But not Cam Boozer. 

While jittering began to float around next to him, Cam Boozer exuded confidence, donning a velvet red suit and remaining, well, himself.

After all, he’s been to tons of press conferences. As a toddler, a young Cam and his twin brother, Cayden, would linger during Carlos Boozer’s press conferences in the NBA. 

“He’s basically seen me go from a baby at his press conference tables to now, my own,” he said. “So I think he’s super proud.”

Carlos then yelled from a couple of rows behind: “Very proud!”

It's no surprise Boozer takes that confidence as a new chapter unfolds with Memphis.

"Being a big-time player is not something new to me, and I think it'll be a perfect challenge," Boozer said.

Reach Commercial Appeal sports intern Said Bravo at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Why Cam Boozer will wear No. 27 for Memphis Grizzlies

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