The Texas women’s basketball program is once again having a remarkable year.
After making a Final Four appearance in 2025, the Longhorns are a No. 1 seed and cruising past opponents in the 2026 NCAA Tournament. Two-time first-team All-American Madison Booker is the driving force behind Texas’ success.
Here are 10 things to know about Booker:
1. The basics
Sports Roundup
Name: Madison Booker
Position: Forward
Ht.: 6-1
Class: Junior
High school: Germantown High School in Gluckstadt, Miss.
2. Had a star-studded prep career
Booker was just about as successful as one can be in her high school career. Attending Germantown High School in Gluckstadt, Mississippi, Booker led the school to its first-ever state championship her senior year.
Along with the state title, Booker was named the Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year in 2023, as well as a McDonald’s All-American.
3. Hitting the ground running
Booker saw immediate success in her first year in Austin.
She was named the Big-12 Player of the Year after her freshman campaign, where she averaged 16.5 points, five rebounds and five assists per game. Booker became the first-ever freshman to take home the award.
Perhaps her highlight moment as a freshman was when she racked up 26 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and six steals in a game against Oklahoma.
4. NIL savant
There may be no college athlete who’s mastered the art of the NIL deal than Booker.
Booker has touted her brand partnerships on her personal Instagram page. She’s shown at least fifteen different brand partnerships on social media including the likes of Dick’s Sporting Goods, Raising Cane’s, State Farm, Fortnite and more.
5. A new career-high in 2026
While Booker has proven herself as one of the nation’s top players, she’s still finding ways to reach new milestones. In a second-round NCAA Tournament win over Oregon, the Texas star scored a career-high 40 points.
Her previous career-high was 31, which she set in the 2026 SEC tournament against Ole Miss.
6. She’s a cat person
Booker admitted in a recent interview that she’s become a cat person. Although she has a wiener dog back at home, she has adopted two cats and has since turned her mom into a cat aficionado.
“When I got my first kitten, my mom was like, ‘What in the world. We are not cat people.’ I was like, ‘It’s an experiment. They’re cute,‘” Booker told Rachel DeMita. “Ever since then, my mom loves them. She got them some little sweaters for Christmas.”
Back in August, Booker promoted a cat adoption event in Austin through her Instagram page.
7. Her dad also played basketball
Booker isn’t the only member of her family to play basketball at the collegiate level. Her father, Carlos, played at Southern Mississippi.
According to the Southern Miss record books, Carlos Booker is fourth on the program’s list of all-time block leaders (131 blocks in two years). He averaged 2.3 blocks per game in his two years with the team.
8. She has a fan in KD
Booker is quickly becoming one of the best Longhorns athletes to don the No. 35. She and Kevin Durant make up a star-studded group.
Durant is a big fan of Booker’s, showing his support for the current Longhorns standout at multiple times throughout her college career.
Back in 2024, Durant said Booker will someday have the No. 35 jersey “retired on the other side.”
In the 2026 NCAA Tournament, Booker donned a customized pair of KD19 shoes as the Longhorns defeated Missouri State in the first round.
9. Picked Texas over other big-name college programs
Booker had a long list of interested collegiate programs as she graduated from Germantown High School in 2023. While she ultimately chose Texas, she held offers from schools like Duke, Tennessee, South Carolina and UConn.
10. Has an interesting off-court hobby
When she isn’t dominating on the court, Booker apparently likes to build Lego sets.
In an interview with Rachel DeMita, Booker said she was building a Batman set that included an overview of Gotham City. She also said she had a tough time building because her cats would get involved with the process.
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