Raptors forward Scottie Barnes falls in love with theater: ‘It’s become a part of his identity’

If you’re in New York City attending “Hamilton” on Broadway and notice a 6-foot-8 man scrunched into his seat and singing all the songs, don’t be surprised. It’s probably just Toronto Raptors star forward Scottie Barnes enjoying his favorite play.

“I’ve seen Hamilton like seven or eight times now,” Barnes told Andscape recently. “I went to see [Hamilton actor] Leslie Odom when he came back twice. … I just love it. If I’m in New York, I’m going. It’s a must for me.”

Raptors assistant coach Jama Mahlalela has long been a theater fan and decided to use his free time to attend “Hamilton” on Dec. 9, 2023, during a road trip in New York City. The award-winning musical uniquely tells the life story of American founding father Alexander Hamilton with a diverse cast through hip hop and R&B. The Broadway production set a record with 16 nominations at the 2016 Tony Awards, ultimately winning 11, including “Best Musical” and “Best Actor” for Odom.

Mahlalela invited a usually open-minded Barnes to join him.

“Some players just do their thing, but Scottie has always been open to new things,” Mahlalela told Andscape. “He is trying new food, doing other experiences. He is kind of worldly that way. So, I sent him a text saying, ‘Do you want to go to ‘Hamilton?’ He said, ‘What’s that?’ I said, ‘It’s a really cool experience. A little different for you. But I think you’re going to like it.’ ”

After contemplating the offer, an initially hesitant Barnes put down his video game controller and accepted the invitation to watch his first Broadway play.

“We were in New York and I was trying play [the video game NBA] 2K,” Barnes said. “But our coach Jama was like, ‘Let’s go to a play. Let’s just do something different.’ I was like, ‘I’m all right.’ I was just chilling in my room. And then I was like, ‘Let’s try it out.’ We went to go see “Hamilton.” Watched it. I really liked it.

“Three months later, it really just kept being stuck in my head. I remembered the music and it got stuck in my head. I love this play. That was my first time going to one. And every time I go back to New York, I go watch it. I just started exploring more plays and watching more and more.”

Said Mahlalela: “Right when it first started, he was so into it. He was just vibing and enjoying it into the intermission. You never know if he was going to hate it. But he said he was enjoying it and it was amazing. We watched the entire show, and I set it up so [afterward] we could see the cast. We went back and saw the actors. And, for him as a professional basketball player, to meet professional actors was incredible.”

Barnes, 24, was raised by a single mother with his three siblings in West Palm Beach, Florida. Barnes said kids in his neighborhood were unlikely to be exposed to theater and he certainly wasn’t.

“The environment that I grew up in, if you’d be like, ‘I want to go see a play,’ people would question it,” Barnes said. “They would be like, ‘What are you doing?’ It’s not the typical thing for the environment I grew up in. To be honest, I didn’t even really think of that stuff. It never even crossed my mind to see a play.”

Since seeing “Hamilton,” Barnes has seen several other plays, including “Les Misérables,” “Wicked,” “The Lion King,” and “Chicago” in New York City and Toronto. He said he finds the acting, singing, dancing, uniqueness and story plots of each play to be “very entertaining.” He wants to keep seeing new plays as well.

“It’s become a part of his identity, and he has gone to other shows and musicals. It’s been cool,” Mahlalela said. “I’m not shocked. It was a passion for me before I introduced it to him. To me, it’s not surprising because it is an amazing thing, and we have to think about the world in a big, broad way. I’m happy he has gone as much as he has.”

Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic, who has attended a play with Barnes, said every time the Raptors visit New York, Barnes enjoys seeing “Hamilton.”

“I love when my players have more interests than just basketball,” Rajakovic said. “I’m trying to talk to them about finding something outside of basketball that can be their interest, a hobby. It’s awesome to see Scottie do that and influence his teammates, who are picking up on it as well.”

But make no mistake, Barnes loves “Hamilton” the most of all the plays he’s attended.

Barnes said he knows most of the popular songs in “Hamilton” by heart. Mahlalela said he has joined Barnes to see the play on three occasions. In 2025, Barnes also went backstage after seeing “Hamilton” to meet Odom, Jr. The actor and singer played Aaron Burr in the original “Hamilton” in 2015 and in a professionally filmed version streaming on Disney+.

“It was amazing. I met him backstage at the second [Hamilton] show I went to. He’s a great guy. Humble. Great character. High-energy guy,” Barnes said.

The fifth-year Raptors forward has also been in a musical. He made his ballet debut in the National Ballet of Canada’s production of “The Nutcracker” in Toronto on Dec. 19, 2025. Barnes and Raptors teammate Jamal Shead played the role of a “Cannon Doll.” The non-dancing cameo role included wearing a custom-made colorful costume and firing a cannon into the audience during the first act. Former Raptors Kyle Lowry and Matt Thomas have previously participated.

Barnes said he spent about 90 minutes preparing for the role before nervously making his debut.

“I brought my man Jamal with me,” Barnes said. “I went on stage for about five minutes. It was a different experience for me acting. It wasn’t too bad. I was a little nervous. I was trying new things. …

“I was for sure more nervous for that than a game. I am not getting nervous for a game normally.”

Barnes was named an NBA All-Star for the only time in his career in 2024. He and Raptors teammate Brandon Ingram are All-Star candidates who will learn on Feb. 1 if they are named All-Star reserves by the Eastern Conference All-Star coach. Barnes entered Wednesday’s game against the New York Knicks averaging 19.4 points, 8.3 rebounds and 5.6 assists. The Raptors (29-20) entered Friday tied with the Cleveland Cavaliers (29-20) for the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference.

If Barnes makes it to the 2026 NBA All-Star Game in Los Angeles, he could attend the musical “Here Lies Love” at the Mark Taper Forum if he has free time.

“I am just going out there playing winning basketball,” Barnes said. “That is what I do. I feel like I make a really big impact on the floor for us. My focus is primarily on the defensive end, but I’m showing a lot of strides for our team on offense as well being able to score the ball, playmake and rebound, breaking defenses down. I feel like I’m doing a good role on that side as well. I’m just trying to play basketball the right way. Everything else just falls into place. …

“I’d be blessed and grateful [to be an All-Star]. It’s special recognition for what you have done in this league. It shows all the hard work and effort you’ve put into this game. To have that recognition on the biggest stage is amazing.”

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