RJ Barrett

 

Rowan Alexander “RJ” Barrett Jr. (born June 14, 2000) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Standing 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m) and weighing 214 pounds (97 kg), Barrett plays shooting guard and small forward. He played one season of college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils before being selected third overall by the New York Knicks in the 2019 NBA Draft. Barrett returned to his hometown Raptors in a December 2023 trade and has emerged as one of the leading scorers from the 2019 draft class.

 

Early Life 

Family

 

Barrett was born in Toronto, Ontario, the son of Rowan Barrett Sr., who played college basketball at St. John’s and professionally in Europe and South America. His father was captain of Canada’s 2000 Olympic basketball team and is currently the general manager of Canada Basketball. Barrett’s godfather is Hall of Famer Steve Nash, who was Rowan Sr.’s teammate on that 2000 Olympic team. Barrett grew up in Mississauga, Ontario, and is fluent in French from time spent living in France during his childhood.

 

High School 

Barrett initially attended St. Marcellinus Secondary School in Mississauga before transferring to Montverde Academy in Florida. At Montverde, he became ESPN’s No. 1-ranked high school player in the 2018 class, earning Naismith Prep Player of the Year and Gatorade National Player of the Year honors. He was a five-star recruit and the first player since LeBron James to sweep all major high school awards while winning the national championship.

College Career

At Duke in 2018-19, Barrett started all 38 games and averaged 22.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 4.3 assists. He set Duke’s freshman scoring record with 860 points. Barrett was named ACC Rookie of the Year and earned Third Team All-American honors. Following Duke’s Elite Eight loss, he declared for the NBA Draft.

 

NBA Career

New York Knicks (2019–2023)

 

Barrett was selected third overall by the Knicks on June 20, 2019. He made his debut on October 23, scoring 21 points against San Antonio. In his rookie season, he averaged 14.3 points and 5.0 rebounds, earning All-Rookie Second Team honors. Barrett improved to 17.6 points per game in his second season while shooting 40.1% from three-point range.

 

On August 30, 2021, Barrett signed a four-year, $120 million rookie extension with New York. He spent four and a half seasons with the Knicks, averaging 17.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.8 assists.

 

Toronto Raptors (2023–Present)

 

On December 30, 2023, Barrett was traded to his hometown Toronto Raptors along with Immanuel Quickley and a second-round pick in exchange for OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa, and Malachi Flynn. He made his Raptors debut on January 1, 2024, recording 19 points and nine rebounds in a win over Cleveland.

 

Barrett immediately thrived in Toronto, averaging 21.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 4.1 assists in 32 games in 2023-24 while shooting 55.3% from the field—all career highs at the time. On January 7, 2024, he scored a season-high 37 points against Golden State, setting the record for most points by a Canadian-born player in Raptors history.

 

In 2024-25, Barrett posted career-highs of 21.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 5.4 assists. On November 16, 2024, he recorded his first career triple-double with 25 points, 10 rebounds, and a career-high 15 assists in an overtime loss to the Lakers. Through the 2025-26 season, Barrett is averaging 23.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 5.8 assists. He is currently leading the 2019 draft class in career scoring with over 6,590 points.

 

International Career

 

Barrett represented Canada at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, where he scored 23 points in the bronze medal game victory over the United States,  Canada’s first World Cup medal and first major tournament medal since the 1936 Olympics. He also competed for Canada at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

 

References

 

External Links

* RJ Barrett on NBA.com

* RJ Barrett on Basketball-Reference.com