RJ Barrett Shows Off Fall Style & Talks Toronto Raptors

David Stol August 30, 2024

RJ Barrett is no stranger to the spotlight. Ahead of his freshman year at Duke University, SLAM Magazine heralded Barrett as “the most decorated prospect since LeBron James” (no pressure). Within days of arriving on campus, fans began calling him “Maple Mamba,” a since-retired nickname likening the Canadian to the late Kobe Bryant (again, no pressure). In his freshman season, Barrett took the NCAA by storm, somehow surpassing the high bar set before him. To no one’s surprise, he declared for that summer’s NBA Draft, where he was selected third overall to play under the impossibly bright lights of the New York Knicks.

Between New York and Canada, it’s hard to say which fanbase hoisted more pressure onto Barrett’s shoulders. On one hand, New York is the undisputed mecca of basketball. To carry the city’s favour is to be considered royalty. But that favour can just as quickly turn sour. As any former New York athlete can attest, its fans are as devoted as they are volatile.

“We gave the fans something to cheer for. And they deserve it, man. It’s a tough city but you earn their love. I’m glad we got there for them.”

RJ Barrett on joining the New York Knicks

Canada, on the other hand, had been searching for its next homegrown NBA star since Barrett’s godfather, Steve Nash, emerged in the mid-2000s. A string of disappointing prospects left many feeling jaded but Barrett’s silky-smooth talent and cool, unflappable exterior left both parties optimistic.

“I remember the first moment it hit me that there was a whole new microscope on me,” recalls Barrett. “I was downtown and — this was soon after I was drafted — [Puma] put up this massive billboard of me. And it was just my face at first. It didn’t even say anything. Just my face blown up, right across from Madison Square Garden.”

Barrett had signed a multi-year shoe deal with Puma ahead of his rookie season. The brand’s billboard eventually evolved to read “NY [heart] RJ,” with Barrett’s face in the centre. When the final version was unveiled, Barrett held court outside Madison Square Garden, handing out hot dogs and t-shirts to fans on the street.

The message from both Puma and the Knicks was clear: “You’re the face of our future,” and Barrett was happy to oblige. It seemed like a natural fit, both on and off the court. On the court, he added an immediate surge of talent. Off the court, his style and effortlessly cool disposition were reminiscent of 1970s Knicks guard and Puma’s original basketball star, Walt Frazier.

“Being with Puma when I first got [to New York], that was special, because I felt like I had all these tools for expressing my style and the way I wanted to present myself to the league,” he says. “It was the right brand and the right city to give me that opportunity. The partnership with Puma has always been about me being me, so having that support early helped keep my feet under me.”

“There’s a different kind of pressure coming back to Toronto — coming back home — that I feel blessed to have.”

RJ Barrett

But Barrett’s transition to New York wasn’t without its challenges. After years of unmitigated success in high school and college, he was joining a New York franchise that held an abysmal 17-65 record the year prior.

“I think people forget that we really built something there. When I arrived, we weren’t contending. We weren’t close, really,” Barrett explains. “My sophomore year, we made the playoffs. Then, we just kept building. We gave the fans something to cheer for. And they deserve it, man. It’s a tough city but you earn their love. I’m glad we got there for them.”

At the time of our interview, the Knicks were competing in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, a far cry from when the Toronto native had first arrived. But it was no longer Barrett’s face on the billboards outside Madison Square Garden promoting the playoff run. Five months before, he’d received a call that he was being traded mid-season to his hometown franchise, the Toronto Raptors.

“I was pinching myself and telling my people, ‘We’re really here. We’re playing for the Toronto Raptors.’”

RJ Barrett

“There are a few things I miss, sure,” he says, reminiscing on his time with New York. “Mostly, I miss my boys over there, the relationships you build over time. And the fans. That pressure was really special. But there’s a different kind of pressure coming back to Toronto — coming back home — that I feel blessed to have.”

Since his freshman year of high school, the spotlight has travelled with Barrett around the globe, from Florida prep schools to rabid college campuses to Madison Square Garden. Now, after nine years away from Toronto, Barrett feels primed to shoulder the expectations of his hometown fans.

“It’s just a literal dream come true,” he says. “I grew up with my dad taking me to games. […] When I found out I was coming home, I didn’t know how to act. I was pinching myself and telling my people, ‘We’re really here. We’re playing for the Toronto Raptors.’”

But before his first full season with the Raptors tips off in October, Barrett took a detour to Paris. Alongside several fellow NBA stars, Barrett represented Canada this summer at the Olympic Games, an honour that hit particularly close to home. His father, Rowan Barrett, has been the national team’s general manager since 2019. Moreover, he played on the last Canadian men’s team to qualify for the Olympics in 2000, an accomplishment his son was eager to eclipse.

“You know, I was on a certain trajectory from a pretty young age. We knew, at some point in high school, if I just kept working, I would go to the NBA,” Barrett explains. “So, he would always try to humble me. He’d say, ‘All this NBA talk is cool, all these rankings are cool, but I’m an Olympian, so until you have that, you can’t say anything to me.

“Growing up, I’d walk past his Olympic jersey framed on the wall and tell him, ‘Look, I’m going to get there one day, so make room for mine.’ Now, I’m just going to bump his to the side, you know?” he says. “And I’m going to have a medal attached to mine, too.”

Underneath the nonchalance and stoic on-court expression, away from the blinding spotlight of NBA stardom, Barrett transforms back into a kid when it comes to matters of home. He jokes about teaching his teammates Toronto slang, talks excitedly about the potential of Puma making his own Toronto-themed signature shoe, and ribs his father over their competitive careers.

“He’s the boss when it comes to the team, but I don’t see him as anything else but ‘Dad.’ I respect him when he’s doing his job. When he comes around, he be having his serious face on,” he laughs. “But, once in a while, I walk up and check on him, we have a quick laugh, and go about our day. That’s what I love about being home, man. It’s just good people around you, people you love.”

“I think the older I get, the more I realize that my idea of success — being ‘the guy’ — is about how many people I can bring with me.”

RJ Barrett

Looking ahead at his career, Barrett hopes to keep those people close for as long as possible. He discusses his plans to extend his contract with both Puma and the Raptors, allowing him to work with those he’s come to trust. He outlines dreams of growing the brand, becoming an All-Star, and bringing another title home to Toronto.

Barrett’s plans don’t lend themselves to notions of stepping away from the spotlight. After all, as someone who’s navigated stardom since before he could drive, Barrett likely wouldn’t know how to avoid it, even if he wanted to. But as his career enters a new chapter in Toronto, his focus lies on bringing those closest to him onto the main stage.

“It’s interesting just thinking from the beginning to now, you know, everything that has happened,” he says. “Ups, downs, good times, bad times. It’s been such an amazing ride. I have a lot of people to thank for that. Being home really puts that in perspective. I want to grow with Puma, and I want to win with the Raptors, but I also want my people around me for it. I think the older I get, the more I realize that my idea of success — being ‘the guy’ — is about how many people I can bring with me.”