Three years into her college basketball career, Madison Booker is already one of the most decorated players in the country. The Mississippi native signed with the University of Texas as a five-star recruit, choosing the Longhorns over Duke and Tennessee.
Booker made an immediate impact as a freshman forward, winning Freshman of the Year honors in 2024. As a sophomore, she reached 1,000 career points in just 61 games—the second fastest in program history—and led Texas to its first Final Four since 2003. She won the Cheryl Miller Award for the two consecutive years, was named SEC Player of the Year, earned first-team All-American recognition from the Associated Press, and was a finalist for both the Wade Trophy and the Wooden Award.
Basketball runs in her family. Her father, Carlos, played college basketball too. (Note, however, Madison Booker is not related to NBA star Devin Booker.) Below, get to know Madison’s parents, Stephanie and Carlos.
Meet Madison’s mom, Stephanie:
Stephanie, Madison’s mother, has been central to her development as a player. Stephanie recognized Madison’s talent early on and anticipated the recruiting attention that would follow.
“When she was in the 3rd grade, she thought she was [NBA star] Rajon Rondo,” Stephanie told24/7 Sports. “She dressed like him. She focused on him because Madison has always wanted to be a guard. Then, when she got to about the 5th grade we realized she was super serious about it. All she wanted to do was go outside and shoot on her goal. She plays PlayStation but all she wants to play are basketball games. When we played in different tournaments people would come up to us and ask us how old is she and where were we from.”
Sure enough, Stephanie was right about her daughter’s talent, and Madison had offers from three Florida schools—University of Florida, Florida State and South Florida—as well as the University of Mississippi, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Alabama, and a few others.
Along with Madison, Stephanie and Carlos also have daughters Morgan and Malia.
Meet Madison’s dad, Carlos:
Houston Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers//Getty Images
Houston’s Chad Hendrick (center) chases down a loose ball as Southern Miss’ Carlos Booker and Tobias Brinkley look on at a college game in 2000.
Madison’s father, Carlos, played college basketball at Southern Miss and went on to play professionally overseas. He has been instrumental in her development as a player. Madison also says he has some routine advice for her.
“When I started playing basketball, my dad made sure I watched players that could really help me grow my game,” Madison told 24/7 Sports. “I watched players such as LeBron [James], [Rajon] Rondo. I have a fadeaway shot that I got from Kevin Durant. I saw him shoot it so I told myself that would be in my bag [of shots]. I worked on it so it would be consistent for me. Growing up, I watched Rajon Rondo a lot. He was my favorite player. I chose Rondo because he has swag on the court. His playmaking skills are skills that I try to mirror.”
Rachel King (she/her) is a news writer at Town & Country. Before joining T&C, she spent nearly a decade as an editor at Fortune. Her work covering travel and lifestyle has appeared in Forbes, Observer, Robb Report, Cruise Critic, and Cool Hunting, among others. Originally from San Francisco, she lives in New York with her wife, their daughter, and a precocious labradoodle. Follow her on Instagram at @rk.passport.
