Former NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer once helped deliver a national championship to Duke. Now, more than two decades later, his twin sons are trying to do the same.
Freshmen Cameron and Cayden Boozer have arrived in Durham as the new faces of a program looking to turn heartbreak into redemption. The Blue Devils blew a nine-point lead in the final minutes of last season’s national semifinal against Houston and open the 2025-26 campaign ranked No. 6 in the Associated Press poll and reloaded with the nation’s top 2025 recruiting class.
Cameron, a 6-foot-9 forward ranked No. 3 nationally by ESPN, and Cayden, a 6-4 point guard ranked No. 16 by the same service, headline that class. Together, they won four straight state titles at Christopher Columbus High in Miami and bring a mix of power and NBA legacy to Jon Scheyer’s roster.
The next wave in college basketball's landscape
“They’ve earned everything they’ve gotten,” Carlos Boozer told the Washington Post. “They don’t come across privileged or entitled. They’re grinding for their own name.”
Cameron replaces Cooper Flagg as Duke’s centerpiece after an offseason exodus that sent Flagg to Dallas and Kon Knueppel to Charlotte in June's NBA Draft. In a preseason exhibition win over No. 18 Tennessee, Cameron posted 24 points and 23 rebounds, showing off his strength and athleticism. Scheyer said Cayden’s floor leadership will be “ready to impact winning right away.”
The Boozer twins were built in a lab to avenge Duke's Final Four losshttps://t.co/XopCE2O8UL
— Post Sports (@PostSports) November 4, 2025
How the Boozer Twins landed on Duke?
The twins’ decision to choose Duke wasn’t easy. Early in their recruitment, both resisted the idea of following their father’s path. “We thought we’d always be in his shadow,” Cayden told the Washington Post. But the allure of the program’s tradition and Scheyer’s trust changed their minds.
Scheyer, now entering his fourth season as Blue Devils head coach, knows something about carrying expectations. A former Blue Devil captain who succeeded Mike Krzyzewski in 2022, he called last year’s Final Four loss “fuel” for a return run. “Little things aren’t little,” Scheyer said. “That’s the margin. Crazy things can happen. That’s the beauty of this sport.”
For the Boozer Twins, the mission is clear in Durham. Now is the time to restore Duke to championship form while carving their own legacy toward an NBA future. Cameron is already projected as a top NBA pick in 2026; Cayden’s sharp-shooting makes him the ideal complement to Duke's roster.
“They’re the next chapter in what we call the brotherhood,” Duke legend Grant Hill said. “Maybe now it’s the nephew-hood.”
The Blue Devils begin that next chapter Tuesday against Texas in Charlotte, hoping the twins usher in a new era, and another banner in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
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