Steve Nash watches Godson R.J. Barrett drop double-double in Duke win

By ADAM ZAGORIA

Steve Nash was in the house Saturday at Cameron Indoor Stadium to watch his Godson.

R.J. Barrett did not disappoint, putting up 19 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists as No. 3 Duke routed Miami 87-57.

“It was amazing just to see him up there coming to support me,” Barrett told reporters. “It meant a lot to me.”

Nash sat next to Rowan Barrett Sr., R.J.’s father and his former teammate on the Canadian National Team.

“It’s a bonus when your Godson is the best 17-year-old basketball player on the planet,” Nash, the two-time NBA MVP, told Bleacher Report a year ago.

NBA legend Steve Nash tells us why his godson, 2018 No. 1 recruit RJ Barrett, is the real deal ? pic.twitter.com/38RWllywQc

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 28, 2018

“He’s my Godfather so whenever I need something, just a quick text and he gets back to me,” Barrett told BR.

Barrett, the 6-foot-7 Mississauga, Ontario, native, is averaging 23.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists and has become Duke’s No. 1 option while national player of the year candidate Zion Williamson has been sidelined for three straight games with a mild right knee sprain. Barrett is widely projected as the No. 2 pick in the NBA Draft behind Williamson.

Nash said the last time he played Barrett in one-on-one was the summer of 2015.

“I beat him,” he said. “It was closer than I would’ve liked it to be and I’m going to take that win and run with it and hopefully never have to defend it in my life.”

Canadian Stars in D-1 hoops pic.twitter.com/g7VDiewPsS

— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) March 2, 2019

Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter

And Like ZAGS on Facebook