Raptors trade pickup spent $10k to "bribe" teammate for jersey number
When Bruce Brown was sent to the Toronto Raptors this week, it wasn’t really anything new to the NBA veteran.
Brown was one of the pieces in the trade that sent Pascal Siakam to the Indiana PacersĀ and had previously played on four teams in the NBA in just the last five seasons alone.
But there was just one problem: his preferred jersey number in Toronto was taken.
The number 11 was currently being worn by Toronto forward Jontay Porter, who’s in his first season in Toronto on a non-guaranteed contract.
“I looked at the available numbers, and I never wore any of those in my life,” Brown said following his Raptors debut on Thursday night, a 116-110 loss to the Chicago Bulls.
But having played with Porter’s brother Michael with the Denver Nuggets in the 2022-23 season (where they won an NBA title), there was already a liaison to broker a deal with his new teammate.
“He reached out and asked if Jontay would give it up, and he said yeah… so I’m thankful.”
Bruce Brown said he paid Jontay Porter $10K for the No. 11 jersey number š¤
"I thought he was going to ask for more"
Brown reached out to his former teammate Michael Porter Jr. to ask if his brother would give up the number š¤£ pic.twitter.com/ScrmkbvkzW
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) January 19, 2024
When the dust settled, it was Brown wearing No. 11, and Porter now rocking No. 34.
Brown admitted that he sent his new teammate $10,000 for the favour. Seeing as Brown is making $22 million this season, it’s a nice gesture to Porter, who’s still just 20 games into his NBA career.
“I make enough to try to bribe him a little bit,” Brown said. “I thought he was going to ask for more.”
Before the trade, Brown averaged 12.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and three assists in 33 games for the Pacers this season.
Porter, Brown, and the rest of the Raptors are back in action on Saturday, when they face off against the New York Knicks. Tip-off at Madison Square Garden is set for 4:30 pm PT/7:30 pm ET.