Introductory Press Conference with RJ Barrett – January 1, 2024

Introductory Press Conference with RJ Barrett – January 1, 2024

What’s it feel like to know this is where you’re going to be working now um it’s great you know it’s great um I’m really really happy really excited to be here um I’m thankful I’m blessed man there’s just you know there’s so many things that I want to

Say but just you know sums up to you know thankful to God for this opportunity and and to to you know to be traded but then move somewhere like you know come here and come home it’s a great feeling what was your reaction when when you found out about the trade

And then ultimately when you heard it was Toronto yeah first initial reaction was like what’s going on you know I I like just woke up to it and then um I mean to to having moved and like I said coming home I was immediately I was

Happy you know I grew up Raptors fan all my life so to to come here and put this jersey on it’s going to be great are there any memories that like really stick out in your mind from growing up either watching the team yeah being being in the arena

Being a fan um just watching everything my dad would take me to games when I was younger um so I I remember watching like dear and Jose cauldron and uh yeah and then I remember when KY Larry came over just you know a lot of a lot of early

Memories just going to the games you know being a fan always being excited so to to be here playing on the court now is going to be uh it’s going to be different did you see this as a a fresh start for you absolutely you know do you

Think you needed it or wanted it or benefit from it whether you need it or wanted it’s happening you know so um just come here Fresh Start uh with new team and then you know try to see uh how I can help you played against the Raptors often their style of play fit

With what you could do on the court and how do you see yourself fitting into their the way they play here yeah you know I’m watching them for for a while now you know they it’s a lot of size um you know a lot of players that can you

Know can do kind of everything you know so it’s it’s uh it’s going to be interesting to see you know how how quick and I can come in here in in jail right away obviously there are a lot of advantages to playing at home but it comes with some challenges as well is

That something that you’ve been starting to think about talk to your family about and how do you think ultimately you’ll be able to manage some of those challenges I think this is happening at the right time I think uh because of my time in New York uh I’m able to to have

Have a routine down you know know who I am know what I do and um I think coming over here right now at at this time maybe if I came here at 19 it would have been a little little more difficult but you know haven’t just grown up a little

Bit I understand uh how I need to work and what I need to do RJ it’s early yet but what’s been like getting enough to speed with the Raptors and uh what’s your expectations in terms of a role on this team uh you know we definitely you

Know went over some stuff uh just now trying to learn everything on the Fly um in terms of expectations and and roll I have no clue you know I just I just got here so just you know trying to see how these games go and and just see how

We can grow and you know as a group tell us about emanu a little bit we don’t know quickly all kind of guys you like kind of play you like that is my brother right there um that’s my brother and he’s just he’s going to be a guy that’s

Going to come in and give you energy every single night he’s going to play his butt off um he can obviously score the ball very well but he he’s a team guy and um yeah man just his his energy his positivity um every single night

Just just a hard worker does it make it a little easier coming here with him if you guys were close yeah for sure um and then you know we just been talking about it through this whole transition you know we I’m here we’re I’m going to take

Care of him you know he’s got my back it’s easier to come here with with somebody that also i’ I’ve you know been been friends with for for the past four years so yeah what do you think your experience in New York uh um what will you carry

Forward from that I mean playing for tibs is kind of a very unique coach in the league very unique Market in the league and how does it shaped you as a pro uh for me just come in here with a work ethic you know a certain work ethic

Uh I think that’s going to transfer over here work ethic focus and just you know a will to win you know trying to do anything you know to scratch out these wins and and and outplay you know and and outwork other opponents is this the dream for for you was to come

Home I mean who doesn’t want to come home you know who doesn’t want to come home play in front of family and friends and and try to you know get a team that that I I’ve always loved so much um you know back to you know that like back to

Where they were in 2019 is there an area of your game that you’re hoping to explore develop more here that maybe you felt like wasn’t shown so much in New York uh no I just you know I kind of know who I am kind of showed you know

Who I am over the course of years and just trying to um get better you know just with the with the Raptor system and and hopefully unlock some new eras of my game that you know I haven’t I haven’t been able to show as much so I’m just

Excited to to be here and just be a part of this Are there specific areas that come to my no nothing nothing specific but you know based off what the game shows you you know every team plays differently so uh playing here is going to require some some new things RJ what

Was the reaction from your family and from friends when they learned that you were coming home uh you know my obviously my family was just you know checking on me making sure I’m okay you know they’re very supportive um and then I mean obviously friends and everybody everybody’s excited um everybody’s happy

So I got a great welcome and I’m I’m appreciative of that and uh I don’t need to tell you Raptor fans are really passionate what’s been uh the response from fans either online or in person that you’ve experienced so yeah like like I said I I feel welcome um one

Thing I tell people is you you come to play for the Raptors it’s a whole you got a whole country behind you you know so uh that’s it’s amazing and you know hopefully I can make the the fans proud do you feel um PR is probably not the

Right word but you know there’s been a number of Canadians that have played here um but not that many maybe Cory would be a guy who’s kind of here in the prime of his career and and you know you’re even younger than he was when he got here but potentially you could have

A long re run here do you feel that creates some opportunities some different kind of pressures or how does it how do you think about that uh I think it’s it’s for anybody to go home is going to be you know it’s going to be a different feeling than

Kind of anybody else but um no I just think this is this is the sport I play this is what I do I’m just going to be here to to do my job you know it’s going to feel um even better you know once cuz

I believe in in this team and I believe that we can we’re going to figure it out and figure out a way to be one of those top teams you know and so when I think once we get to that point and and we’re there it’s going to feel even sweeter do

You expect to be available and ready to play tonight um man I I practiced so I don’t know what’s going to I don’t know what’s going to happen I just got here I know nothing let me just take us through like I guess what the trade broke around noon

I think Friday like that so maybe just the last 36 hours or whatever would have been up yeah no like I said it was it was crazy cuz we had played and then we flew all the way to Indiana so I like just woke up and then you know right to

It happened and um n just grab some things I know we got a big road trip coming up grab some things came here yesterday was was a cool day got in got to do everything see the facilities and I mean I’m a little familiar with it already from Team Canada stuff so

I just you know got some stuff in got my work in and you know I’m just I’m here I’m ready staying downtown or staying at home staying downtown cuz it’s closer you know I’m going to try to stay closer to the practice facility told you the

Work ethic is going to it’s going to stay yeah

Recently acquired RJ Barrett speaks with the media ahead of tonight’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
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