RJ Barrett was selected third overall in the 2019 NBA draft by the New York Knicks after one year with the Duke Blue Devils.
52 Facts About RJ Barrett
2.
RJ Barrett was a five-star recruit and the consensus top recruit in the 2018 class, earning Naismith Prep Player of the Year and Gatorade National Player of the Year accolades in his final high school season whilst playing as a shooting guard a majority of the season.
3.
RJ Barrett was ranked the top player in his class by all recruiting services and was the first player since LeBron James to sweep all major awards in high school and win the national championship.
4.
RJ Barrett debuted for the senior team during qualification for the 2019 FIBA World Cup.
5.
RJ Barrett was born in Toronto, Ontario, to Kesha Duhaney and former professional basketball player Rowan RJ Barrett.
6.
RJ Barrett lived in a number of countries due to his father's career and shot around after games and practices.
7.
RJ Barrett's family settled in Mississauga, Ontario in 2008, when his father left professional basketball.
8.
At age 12, after struggling in a basketball game and coming home crying, RJ Barrett began focusing on basketball instead of football to avoid missing tournaments.
9.
RJ Barrett sometimes trained with Steve Nash, his godfather and father's friend.
10.
RJ Barrett attended Horizon Jeunesse in Clarkson, Mississauga, leading his school team to a city title for Mississauga French elementary schools, where he was named most valuable player despite facing older opponents.
11.
RJ Barrett played for the Regional Elite Development Academy under-12 program on the Amateur Athletic Union circuit, facing many teams from the United States.
12.
RJ Barrett began high school at St Marcellinus Secondary School in Mississauga, whilst competing for the Brampton Warriors AAU team through the REDA.
13.
In September 2015, one week after touring top prep schools in the United States, RJ Barrett announced that he would leave St Marcellinus.
14.
RJ Barrett made the decision in order to "take his game to another level" but described the transition as "rough".
15.
RJ Barrett can handle the ball, can get to the basketball at will; he's tough, he's competitive.
16.
RJ Barrett joined the World Select Team at the 2017 Nike Hoop Summit in April, posting nine points and two steals in 20 minutes.
17.
RJ Barrett finished the season averaging 22 points and 7 rebounds per game in high school, being tabbed National Sophomore of the Year by MaxPreps and making the Naismith All-American Third Team.
18.
Later in the month, RJ Barrett took part in the 2018 McDonald's All-American Boys Game, where he scored 26 points.
19.
In March 2018, RJ Barrett was awarded the prestigious Morgan Wooten National Player of the Year award for "displaying outstanding character, showing leadership and embodying the values of a student athlete".
20.
One of the ways RJ Barrett exhibited these attributes was by being involved in the Basketball Buddies Program of Montverde Academy, where he was in charge of mentoring young basketball athletes with their basketball skills, as well as advising them on how to manage their academics.
21.
RJ Barrett scored a game-high 20 points to go along with nine rebounds, six assists and five steals at the 2018 Nike Hoop Summit and was named MVP.
22.
RJ Barrett was rated as a five-star recruit and ranked the No 1 overall recruit in the class of 2018.
23.
RJ Barrett received scholarship offers from several major universities including Arizona, Duke, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, UCLA, and USC, according to ESPN.
24.
On December 3,2018, RJ Barrett was named Atlantic Coast Conference rookie of the week.
25.
On December 10,2018, RJ Barrett earned ACC player and freshman of the week honors for the second time.
26.
On January 28,2019, RJ Barrett earned his third ACC freshman of the week honor.
27.
On February 25,2019, RJ Barrett was again named ACC freshman of the week for the fourth consecutive time.
28.
RJ Barrett saw action in a total of 38 games as a freshman, averaging 22.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists a contest.
29.
RJ Barrett came down with a sprained ankle in a game against the Phoenix Suns on January 16,2020.
30.
RJ Barrett finished his rookie season averaging 14.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.0 steals in 30.4 minutes.
31.
RJ Barrett was controversially left out of an NBA All-Rookie Team after the premature end of the regular season.
32.
RJ Barrett made significant strides in his second year, finishing with 17.6 points per game, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.0 assists.
33.
RJ Barrett made big improvements in his shooting, finishing the season shooting 40.1 percent from the three-point line, and 74.6 percent from the free throw line.
34.
RJ Barrett started in all 72 games during the season, which was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic, playing 34.9 minutes per game.
35.
RJ Barrett scored 32 points setting a franchise record becoming the youngest Knick to get consecutive games with at least 30 points at just 21 years old.
36.
RJ Barrett became the eighth NBA player to tally 2,000 points, 500 rebounds and 300 assists by 21 years old, joining Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant and Luka Doncic.
37.
RJ Barrett became the 7th player in NBA history to score 3400+ points, 1100+ rebounds and 550+ assist's before turning 22 years old joining Kevin Garnett, Tracy McGrady, Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Luka Doncic.
38.
RJ Barrett became the youngest Knicks player to average 20 points per game for a season at 21 years old.
39.
On September 1,2022, RJ Barrett re-signed with the Knicks on a four-year, $120M deal.
40.
RJ Barrett was the first player to agree to a multiyear extension after a rookie deal with the Knicks since Charlie Ward in 1999.
41.
RJ Barrett was the youngest player on Canada's under-16 national team that won silver at the 2015 FIBA Americas U16 Championship, in Argentina.
42.
RJ Barrett averaged 18.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game at the 2016 FIBA U17 World Cup, in Spain, en route to eurobasket.
43.
RJ Barrett subsequently led Canada to the title, tallying game-highs of 18 points and 12 rebounds in the championship game against Italy, and was named to the tournament's All-Star Five and the tournament Most Valuable Player.
44.
On May 24,2022, RJ Barrett agreed to a three-year commitment to play with the Canadian senior men's national team.
45.
RJ Barrett's father Rowan RJ Barrett was born to Jamaican parents and raised in Toronto.
46.
RJ Barrett played college basketball for St John's before embarking on a professional career spent in Europe and South America.
47.
RJ Barrett is the godson of Steve Nash, a Basketball Hall of Fame inductee and former head coach of the Brooklyn Nets who played with his father on the Canadian national team.
48.
When RJ Barrett was a baby, Nash bought him his first crib.
49.
RJ Barrett's mother Kesha Duhaney is a native of Brooklyn, New York.
50.
RJ Barrett was a nationally ranked sprinter and long jumper for St John's University before working for the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce.
51.
RJ Barrett can speak French fluently, although he admitted to being "a little rusty" in 2018.
52.
RJ Barrett has a brother Nathan, who is about four years younger than him.