Boozer elected to play college basketball at Duke University, helping the team win the 2001 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship. Boozer declared for the 2002 NBA Draft, relinquishing his final year of NCAA eligibility. He was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round of the NBA draft. After two years, Boozer signed with the Utah Jazz on July 24, 2004, until 2010 when he joined the Chicago Bulls.

Boozer was selected as a member of the 2004 USA Olympic men's basketball team which won a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympic Games. He also participated in the 2008 Summer Olympic Games as the USA went unbeaten en route to the gold medal, defeating 2006 World Champion Spain for their first gold medal since the 2000 Olympics.

In the 2006–07 NBA season, Boozer appeared in the NBA Fundamentals series hosted by TNT, in which NBA players explain certain aspects of basketball.