Tragedy struck the Raptors organization this week with the passing of RJ Barrett's younger brother, Nathan. At this time, details of his death have not been disclosed, only that he passed away on Tuesday of this past week. The Raptors had a game on Friday against the Orlando Magic at home, and prior to tip-off, the team observed a moment of silence to honor Nathan.

RJ Barrett did not play in the Raptors loss to the Pistons on Wednesday following the death of Nathan and he was ruled out for the team's game against the Magic on Friday. A native of Canada, Barrett was traded to the Raptors in late December in a deal that sent OG Anunoby to the New York Knicks.

Barrett was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, Barrett was part of a highly-touted trio at Duke that included Zion Williamson and Cam Reddish. Barrett played four seasons for the Knicks prior to this year. He joins Kelly Olynyk and Chris Boucher as a trio of hometown guys on the Raptors roster this season. It's not clear how long Barrett will be away from the team.

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Barrett's brother Nathan was a basketball player as well. He played high school basketball at Montverde Academy like his older brother although he was currently studying to be a pilot rather than follow in his older brother's footsteps of becoming a professional basketball player.

Barrett is currently in the midst of a four-year contract extension he signed with the Knicks in 2022. He has three more seasons left on that deal.