Duke product Rowan Alexander “RJ” Barrett Jr. is a Canadian professional basketball player for the New York Knicks.

The former Duke product wears the number 9 jersey for the New York Knicks.

He was born 14th June, 2000.

He was picked third overall in the 2019 NBA Draft by the New York Knicks after one year with the Duke Blue Devils.

Barrett was voted MVP of the 2017 FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup after leading the Canadian national under-19 team to a gold medal.

He made his senior squad debut during the 2019 FIBA World Cup qualification process.

He was the only player since LeBron James to win the national championship and sweep all major trophies in high school.

Early Life

Barrett was born in Toronto, Ontario, to Kesha Duhaney and former professional basketball player Rowan Barrett.

He developed an interest in basketball as a toddler and used to play with a mini-hoop in his playroom in France, where his father was a professional basketball player at the time.

Barrett went to a French school while in France, but his mother taught him English.

Barrett can speak French fluently.

Due to his father’s career, he lived in a lot of countries and shot around after games and practices.

Barrett also played basketball with kids his age in the clubs where his father was a member.

When his father retired from professional basketball in 2008, his family relocated to Mississauga, Ontario.

He also participated in football, 100-meter running, and the high jump as a kid.

Barrett began focusing on basketball instead of football at the age of 12 after suffering in a basketball game and crying at home.

He did so to avoid missing tournaments.

He informed his father at that age that he aspired to be an NBA All-Star and inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

He used to train with Steve Nash, his godfather and a friend of his father’s.

Barrett attended École Secondaire Jeunes Sans Frontières, a French language school in Brampton.

Career

Barrett was named the top Canadian talent in the 2019 class while attending St. Marcellinus Secondary School.

Barrett was a five-star recruit and the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2018 recruiting class.

On November 6, in his first regular season game, he posted 33 points and six assists against second-ranked Kentucky at the Champions Classic, breaking the Duke freshman scoring record in a debut.

As a freshman, he appeared in 38 games (starting all 38), averaging 22.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game.

Barrett declared his desire to forego his last three seasons of collegiate eligibility and declare for the 2019 NBA draft following Duke’s loss in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

Barrett was selected third overall in the 2019 NBA draft by the New York Knicks on June 20, 2019.

Barrett inked a contract with the Knicks on July 3rd. Barrett made his NBA debut on October 23, starting and scoring 21 points, five rebounds, two assists, and two steals in a 111–120 loss against the San Antonio Spurs.

Barrett averaged 14.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.0 steals in 30.4 minutes during his first season.

He played in 56 games, starting 55 of them. Following the premature end of the regular season, he was controversially left out of an NBA All-Rookie Team.

Barrett also became the eighth NBA player to tally 2,000 points, 500 rebounds and 300 assists by 21 years old, joining Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant and Luka Dončić.

A career high of 36 points came up in the 2021-22 season in a 122–115 overtime loss against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Jersey

The former Duke product wears the number 9 jersey for the New York Knicks.

Player Stats

Rookie Card