Page 65 - Sharp September 2024

RJ BARRETT IS NO STRANGER TO THE SPOTLIGHT. AHEAD
of his freshman year at Duke University, SLAM Magazine heralded Barrett as “the most decorated prospect since LeBron James” (no pressure). Within days of arriving on campus, fans began calling him “Maple Mamba,” a since-retired nickname likening the Canadian to the late Kobe Bryant (again, no pressure). In his freshman season, Barrett took the NCAA by storm, somehow surpassing the high bar set before him. To no one’s surprise, he declared for that summer’s NBA Draft, where he was selected third overall to play under the impossibly bright lights of the New York Knicks.
Between New York and Canada, it’s hard to say which fanbase hoisted more pressure onto Barrett’s shoulders. On one hand, New York is the undisputed mecca of basketball. To carry the city’s favour is to be considered royalty. But that favour can just as quickly turn sour. As any former New York athlete can attest, its fans are as devoted as they are volatile.
Canada, on the other hand, had been searching for its next homegrown NBA star since Barrett’s godfather, Steve Nash, emerged in the mid-2000s. A string of disappointing prospects left many feeling jaded but Barrett’s silky-smooth talent and cool, unflappable exterior left both parties optimistic.
“I remember the first moment it hit me that there was a whole new microscope on me,” recalls Barrett. “I was downtown and — this was soon after I was drafted — [Puma] put up this massive billboard of me. And it was just my face at first. It didn’t even say anything. Just my face blown up, right across from Madison Square Garden.”
Barrett had signed a multi-year shoe deal with Puma ahead of his rookie season. The brand’s billboard eventually evolved to read “NY [heart] RJ,” with Barrett’s face in the centre. When the final version was unveiled, Barrett held court outside Madison Square Garden, handing out hot dogs and t-shirts to fans on the street.
The message from both Puma and the Knicks was clear: “You’re the face of our future,” and Barrett was happy to oblige. It seemed like a natural fit, both on and off the court. On the court, he added an immediate surge of talent. Off the court, his style and effortlessly cool disposition were reminiscent of 1970s Knicks guard and Puma’s original basketball star, Walt Frazier.
“Being with Puma when I first got [to New York], that was special, because I felt like I had all these tools for expressing my style and the way I wanted to present myself to the league,” he says. “It was the right brand and the right city to give me that opportunity. The partnership with Puma has always been about me being me, so
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