STEVE FREEM
AN
/NBAE/GETTY IM
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HJIRO
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(RO
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MICH
AEL BERG/ICO
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IRE/GETTY IM
AGES (DU
NK)
even got to college. The 6' 7" combo
guard’s name has been a fixture in
basketball circles since he was in
middle school. Born in Toronto and
raised outside the city in Mississauga,
Ontario, he’s one of the most heralded
basketball prospects in Canadian
hoops history.
His father, Rowan, played
professionally throughout Europe and
South America. Rowan Junior—R.J.—
was three months old when his dad
was in Sydney as the captain of the
Canadian Olympic basketball team.
His dad’s close friend on that 2000
Olympic team, Hall of Famer Steve
Nash, is R.J.’s godfather.
“He’s becoming an adult before
our eyes,” Nash says. “With all he’s
gone through and what’s been
thrown at him—as a human, it’s
awesome to see him grow.”
While Rowan Sr. was still playing
abroad in Europe, R.J. spent his first
eight years excelling in soccer and
lingering on the court after his dad’s
basketball games. R.J.’s parents were
reluctant to push him toward one
sport, but in the end they couldn’t
keep him away from basketball. His
dad says he was uneasy about the
decision to focus solely on hoops.
“What are you trying to accomplish
in basketball if you’re going to quit
soccer to do it?” he asked R.J.
“Dad, I’m going to be an NBA
champion,” R.J. told him. “One day I
want to be in the Hall of Fame.”
So Rowan took his son to the
hardware store. They bought a
whiteboard for his bedroom
wall and made a list of his
goals: be the top high
school player in the
country, be a
McDonald’s All-
American, attend an
elite school, be an
NBA All-Star and
an NBA champion....
In a universe without an
NBA age minimum, Barrett
could have gone pro right out of
high school. He’s glad he wound
up at Duke instead. “A college
experience is something
everyone should have,” he says.
“Going to Waffle House late at
night. Or the gym at midnight.
Just being kids.”
Barrett averaged 22.6 points,
7.6 rebounds, and 4.3 assists for
the Blue Devils last season.
According to ESPN’s
DraftExpress, whose database
goes back to 1980, no teenager
has ever matched that line. But
criticism came nonetheless. As a
nation of basketball fans tuned
in to watch his teammate Zion
Williamson, they were just as likely
to see Barrett crashing into a
crowded lane and to wonder why
he wasn’t passing.
When Duke won, Zion was the
story. When they lost, everyone
focused on R.J., and critics noted that
despite his impressive scoring stats,
his shooting and efficiency metrics
were ord i na r y.
Nash finds a lot of those worries to
be overblown. “It’s really important to
remember he’s 18,” he says. “You have
to project where he’ll be in a few
years. It just takes time.”FAMILY ROOTS
When R.J. was born, his dad had to
look around and think: What if I
wasn’t around? Who would I want to
model manners and responsibility
for my son?
Nash was the first name
that came to mind. The
two had met as
teenagers on Canada’sjunior national team and quickly
bonded on the court. So when
Rowan asked him to be R.J.’s
godfather, Nash said yes right away.
These days R.J. and Nash talk
every few weeks, about the NBA, the
draft process, and finding balance
amid the chaos.
Rowan Sr. remembers one such
conversation near the end of high
school, when R.J. began to realize
that heightened fame meant less
privacy. He leaned on Nash to
process this new reality, and as
Barrett’s dad remembers it, Nash
said, “You’re doing what you love.
And when you have a bad day, just
think about all that you’re fortunate
to have.”
Barrett is most fun when he’s still
acting like a kid. After a late-nightWELL-SUITED
The Knicks drafted
Barrett, who has
always loved playing
in front of crowds.FREE TIME
Barrett put up historic
numbers for a teenager
at Duke, then let loose a
little at the Santa Monica
Pier in California.