Mar 31, 2019; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward RJ Barrett (5) races after a basket during the first half against the Michigan State Spartans in the championship game of the east regional of the 2019 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports
After posting a strong freshman campaign, RJ Barrett is the presumptive No. 3 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft—following former Duke teammate Zion Williamson and Murray State star Ja Morant. The 6'7", 202-pound guard from Toronto posted averages of 22.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 4.3 assists while playing 35.3 minutes per game for the Blue Devils, helping lead the Duke to the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament before they eventually fell in the Elite Eight.
But way before he set foot on campus, Barrett, out of Canada, has been on scouts’ radar for quite some time. His selection June 20 will mark the culmination of years of exhaustive evaluation.
But unless you’ve been following Barrett as closely as those scouts, you might’ve missed some interesting facts about the 18-year-old. Here are 13 things you probably didn’t know about RJ Barrett.
His dad had a cup of tea in the NBA
Like many of the other top-flight prospects, Barrett hails from strong athletic bloodlines. His father, Rowan, was a standout at St. John's in the '90s, and he briefly was under contract with the Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers. He never played in regular-season NBA action, though. A prolific scorer, Rowan had a 10-year career playing in various leagues overseas. Even though we know Barrett as RJ, he’s named after his dad—Rowan Alexander.
RJ moved out on his own at 15
When he decided to attend heralded Montverde Academy near Orlando, that meant leaving Ontario, Canada cold behind for the warmth of the Sunshine State. But it also meant leaving his family behind at a young age. “The first year was definitely the worst,” RJ recalled in 2017. “It was a new environment, I was not used to being away from my parents for a long period of time. As time goes on I won’t see them for a long time and we’re just fine with it now. This is how my life’s going to be so we’re getting used to it.” He took another risk just a couple years later…
He reclassified in high school
Barrett only turns 19 on June 14; he’s a young blood. He reclassified in July 2017, saying he felt he was "ready to move up and to be in college a year earlier." With the move, he went from No. 1 in the Class of 2019 to No. 3 in the Class of 2018, but that didn’t last long.
In high school, he accomplished something no one had since LeBron James
Though Zion quickly overtook Barrett at Duke, the guard was the presumed alpha at the start of their collegiate careers. When they declared, there was no question which player was considered the best in the high school Class of 2018: it was Barrett, who had climbed back up to pole position in his new class. He was both the Naismith Prep Player of the Year and Gatorade National Player of the Year after his senior campaign at Montverde. He became the first player since King James to sweep the major awards and win a national title. Talk about elite company. He had kind of been set up for greatness from birth, though.
His mom was an elite college athlete
Barrett got athletic genes from both Rowan and his mother, Kesha Duhaney. A native of Brooklyn, Kesha stayed near home for college, starring as a sprinter and long jumper for St. John's, where she met Rowan. Asked which of his parents is more competitive, RJ answered: “That’s tough. That is tough. I’d say my dad. I mean, my mom is crazy competitive. She always wants to beat my dad. But my dad never wants us to beat him. Ever. He doesn’t have to say too much, but I know he does not want us to win.” The athleticism and competitiveness have flowed from generation to generation in this family.
He has Jamaican bloodlines
RJ has Jamaican heritage on both sides. Kesha's sister, Dahlia, was a member of Jamaica's 4x100 relay team, which won gold at the 1991 IAAF World Championships. His grandparents on both sides are Jamaican, and his grandma and grandpa on his mom’s side also both ran track for the Jamaican national team. But RJ suits up for Team Canada.
He burst on the scene at the 2017 FIBA U-19 Basketball World Cup
Team Canada had its best-ever FIBA tournament finish at the tournament, with the boys from Canada taking home the gold after defeating Italy in the title game. Barrett was named MVP after averaging 21.6 PPG for the tournament. In the semifinals, he dropped 38 points, 13 boards, and five rebounds on John Calipari’s Team USA, leading Canada to a 99-87 win. Two years later, at qualification for the 2019 FIBA World Cup, Barrett played for the senior team. Traveling out of North America certainly isn’t out of RJ’s comfort zone.
He grew up in France
As a result of Rowan's professional hoops pursuits, RJ spent much of his youth abroad. He became interested in basketball because of his dad, of course, but also because he loved messing around on a miniature hoop in his playroom in France. As a boy, Barrett attended a French school, but his mom also taught him English (last year, RJ said his French was “a little rusty”). When Rowan’s playing career ended, the family moved to Canada in 2008.
He played multiple sports until his teenage years
Though many of his peers (including Zion) chose to specialize in hoops early on, Barrett played football and, like his mom, participated in track and field (running the 100-meter dash and the high jump) until he was 12. At that point, however, he had one rough basketball game that crushed his spirit and, upon reflection, convinced him to focus solely on his main sport. He’s been destined for basketball greatness since adolescence.
Steve Nash is his godfather
Due to his impressive playing career, Rowan has friends in high places—such as Canadian basketball god Steve Nash, who is RJ’s godfather. Rowan and Nash first met on Canada’s U-19 national team and eventually played together on Canada’s squad at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Nash gifted RJ’s first crib to the Barrett family, and the two-time MVP occasionally trained RJ when he was a young player.
RJ has a younger brother who can hoop, too
Nathan Barrett, a 6'1" guard, is only a sophomore in high school, but he's also playing for Montverde. Four years RJ's junior, Nathan lists Duke and Oregon as his ideal colleges and says he too dreams of playing in the NBA. His favorite player is Russell Westbrook. Maybe Nathan will even one day join RJ in repping their national squad.
He has the hopes of Canada basketball riding on his shoulders
That 2000 Sydney team—which finished seventh—marks the last Canadian contingent to qualify for the Olympics. But there's plenty of reason for optimism with the national team, with Barrett joining the likes of Jamal Murray, Tristan Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Kelly Olynyk, Dwight Powell, Cory Joseph, and Dillon Brooks as emerging Canadians in the NBA. Rowan is the current GM of the Canadian national team; he’s counting on his son to deliver a medal to the North.