Portland Trail Blazers forward Rayan Rupert has both a unique and shared history, particularly by former Blazers wing Nicolas Batum. Both men are NBA players from France. Both have fathers who themselves played professional basketball and tragically passed away in their 30s. And both attended a basketball camp in 2016, one as a participant who won MVP and one as a host who saw something of himself in the bespeckled youngster.
Jason Quick of The Athletic (subscription required) wrote about how Rupert shares a bond with Batum, and how closely they keep in touch:
“We have the same story,” Batum said.