New York Knicks rookie shooting guard RJ Barrett will retire his “Maple Mamba” nickname, he told reporters Tuesday, after the tragic passing of retired Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant.
The 19-year-old Barrett, a Canadian native, went by the nickname, combining the heritage of his northern home country and the ferocity of the future Hall of Famer, Bryant, who died on Sunday alongside 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others in a helicopter crash.
Per Newsday's Steve Popper, Barrett, the third overall pick from last year's draft, called Bryant's sudden passing “sad” and explained his decision to retire the nickname.
I don’t want to get called that anymore. Somebody great like that, to lose him in that way is really sad. Even to this day you just think about it and it keeps replaying in my mind. It’s tough.
Barrett has missed the past week of action in his rookie season for the Knicks after spraining his ankle in a Jan. 20 home game against the Phoenix Suns. Barrett will be sidelined for the next week, too, after which the team will re-evaluate the former Duke Blue Devil's injured ankle.
The Knicks are in Charlotte to play the Hornets on Tuesday evening as the league grapples with the sudden deaths of Bryant and his young daughter.
Teams across the NBA held moments of silence along with paying tribute to the former MVP and five-time champion by taking 24-second shot-clock violations—the same number Bryant wore in the second half of his twenty-year career.
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