TORONTO (AP) — Toronto Raptors guard RJ Barrett is mourning the death of his younger brother, Nathan Barrett.
The Barrett family said in a statement that Nathan died Tuesday. The statement, released Thursday by the Raptors and Canada Basketball, did not disclose a cause of death or Nathan’s age.
RJ and Nathan’s father, Rowan Barrett, is Canada Basketball’s general manager.
“While our family is devastated by this great loss, we will continue to cherish the memories and time spent together,” the statement said.
“Nathan was a God-fearing young man of strong character. He was thoughtful, kind, loving, compassionate, creative, admirable and driven.”
RJ Barrett, who is second on the Raptors in scoring at 19.5 points per game, did not play in Wednesday’s loss at Detroit.
Like his brother, Nathan played high school basketball at Montverde Academy in Florida. RJ went on to play one season at Duke before declaring for the NBA draft. He was selected No. 3 overall by the New York Knicks in 2019.