RJ Barrett's Brother Nathan Dies; Raptors Star Out vs. Magic

Nathan Barrett, the younger brother of Toronto Raptors forward-guard RJ Barrett, died Tuesday, according to a statement from Canada Basketball and the Toronto Raptors on behalf of the Barrett family.

Barrett is expected to miss the Raptors' Friday night contest against the Orlando Magic. He previously missed Wednesday's loss to the Detroit Pistons.

Nathan Barrett played as a guard for Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida, per TMZ.

Barrett has started 27 games since arriving in Toronto in December as part of the New York Knicks' trade for OG Anunoby.

Nathan was four years younger than RJ, according to a 2019 Q&A with the New York Post's Steve Serby. RJ is 23.

Nathan had previously expressed interest in attending college at Duke or Oregon, according to his Montverde bio. RJ played at Duke for the 2018-19 season.

According to a post shared by RJ in 2018, Nathan attended Montverde with the goal of making the NBA.

Chris Stewart, who formerly coached the Barretts when they played youth basketball in Mississauga, Canada, shared his condolences Thursday on social media, according to the Daily Mail.

"Nathan was only with us for a short time in grade 7 before he moved to Florida but whenever he was back in Mississauga the boys connected," Stewart wrote in his Instagram post. "I saw Nathan last summer, all grown up, a big smile and he was excited telling me how he was starting school to become a pilot."

The statement on the behalf of the Barrett family described Nathan as "a God-fearing young man of strong character."

"He was thoughtful, kind, loving, compassionate, creative, admirable, and driven," it said.

The family added a request for privacy but expressed appreciation for "the outpouring of love, support and prayers that we have been receiving."