His father played for the Canadian national team for more than a decade, his godfather captained it to its greatest success in the last quarter of a century, and R.J. Barrett paid tribute to his roots on his big night at the NBA draft on Thursday.
Wearing a loud pink suit with Canadian flags adorning the jacket’s lining, the son of Rowan Barrett and the godson of Steve Nash was taken third overall in the draft by the New York Knicks, making him the highest Canadian drafted since Andrew Wiggins went first in 2014.
“I’m very proud I get to rep my country,” Barrett said in a pre-draft television interview.