It’s Raptors phenom Scottie Barnes’ first October in Toronto, and the young fourth-overall draft pick is getting acquainted with the local Halloween party circuit with the help of homegrown player Dalano Banton.
The two were out on the town on Tuesday evening celebrating the spooky season in advance of their Wednesday game hosting the Indiana Pacers, and an Instagram story posted by Banton is revealing that Barnes takes Halloween pretty seriously.
Toronto Raptors player Scottie Barnes dressed up as The Joker for Halloween this year – 📹 Dalano Banton #Toronto #TorontoRaptors #Raptors #WeTheNorth #NBA #ScottieBarnes #Halloween #Halloween2021 pic.twitter.com/a9vlOXaRJY
— blogTO (@blogTO) October 27, 2021
Scottie wasn’t messing around with his Dark Knight-era Joker costume, wearing the trademark purple and green attire with full face paint and even hair colouring to complete the look.
It’s pretty clear where Barnes stands on which iteration of the classic Batman villain is the best.
Important note: Scottie knows Heath Ledger is the best Joker and the only Joker https://t.co/8iKzsNOFQg
— J.R. McScary Supply Chain Issues (@jrmcconvey) October 27, 2021
The big #4 (jersey and draft position) even gave us his best dead-eyed Joker stare before breaking character and reverting to the cheerful, excited rising star that the country has quickly fallen in love with.
The story has been reposted all over the place since Banton shared it on Tuesday, many reposts jokingly (sorry) saying that Barnes was actually dressed up as Denver Nuggets’ star Nikola Jokic, known as The Joker in reference to his name and unpredictability.
Nikola Jokic after stealing a win from the Grizzlies pic.twitter.com/uvKXGFPMAS
— NBA Memes (@NBAMemes) March 13, 2021
And this isn’t the first time Raptors stars have impressed us with their dedication to Halloween costumes. There were plenty of team costumes to soak in back in 2019, but the star was obviously Fred VanVleet and his girlfriend Shontai Neal, who dressed up as Fred (VanVleetstone) and Wilma Flintstone.
Fright Night 🎃 pic.twitter.com/lGVsSCiAOT
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) November 1, 2019
A tough act to follow for sure, but Scottie is only just a rookie. Give him some time to put down roots in this city, and maybe he’ll be part of an epic couples’ costume next Halloween.
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