Toronto Raptors star Scottie Barnes is more than just an All-Star on the court; he has some comedic chops off of it. On Thursday, Sean Leathong, a reporter for the Canadian channel CP24, was reporting live outside of the Raptors facility on the the recently completed trade that brought Kawhi Leonard back to Toronto. It was Barnes, though, who stole the show.
He began his bit by leaning up against a window and eating some lunch, but when he heard Leathong say his name, Barnes jumped into action. He moved closer to the reporter, first celebrating when Leathong announced that Leonard's contract had been extended, then reacting with shock when the figure — $115 million over two years — was announced. Barnes also turned and mugged for the camera after Leathong mentioned him as a strong part of the team.
Jermaine Wilson of CP24 said Barnes didn't want to do an interview, but he clearly was intrigued by the reporter and camera. "Leathong said that he was standing outside the practice facility preparing to go live when Barnes first approached him and asked if he was with the media," Wilson wrote. "The CTV News Toronto reporter said that he asked Barnes if he wanted to do an interview, to which he replied 'nah, I’ll just be back here.'" Barnes also reportedly denied to Leathong that he'd been doing anything behind his shot.
"I didn’t do nothing," he said as Leathong threw to an interview clip. Leathong was right to call Barnes a key contributor for the Raptors. Last season, he played in 80 of the team's 82 games, plus all seven playoff games.
He hit career highs in field goal percentage at 50.7% and free throw percentage at 81.5%, averaging 17.4 points per. game with 7.5 rebounds and 5.2 assists. Adding in a superstar like Leonard, the Raptors have a chance to build upon that playoff berth and possibly make a deeper run in the Eastern Conference. And if they don't, at least Barnes can bring some laughs to the locker room.
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