It was an emotional evening at Madison Square Garden on Saturday as fan favorites RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley stepped on to the court as the opposition for the first time in their careers.
Yet, they were still treated with love from the Knicks fans.
Barrett and Quickley heard cheers during player introductions and received a standing ovation when a video tribute was played in the first quarter of a 126-100 Knicks win.
“It was amazing,” Barrett said after the game. “Thank you to the fans. We got a tribute video. Didn’t think we’d get that. Very appreciative of my time here. Had a lot of emotions. It was fun to play basketball again here.”
While Barrett’s new team may have taken the loss, both he and Quickley played pretty well against their former squad.
Barrett led the Raptors with 20 points and eight rebounds while Quickley finished with 12 points and 11 assists.
“We were hyped, having fun,” Barrett said. “Playing against your friends is always fun.”
Barrett said that Julius Randle in particular was playfully ragging on him.
Randle, who had the first triple-double for the Knicks this season, told reporters after the game that he learned much from both Barrett and Quickley during their time as teammates.
“Those guys are special to me,” he said. “It’s a special relationship. …they taught me about leadership, how to carry myself, how to be open, how to be honeost. Those are things I didn’t necessarily have coming in. I was more of a lead by example, play hard every night. Those guys brought out a different side of me.”