Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Must See: Raptors Rookies Sing Gary Trent Jr. Happy Birthday
Gary Trent Jr. got a special birthday present from a few of his Toronto Raptors teammates Tuesday.
For his 23rd birthday, the Raptors guard was serenaded by his rookie teammates Scottie Barnes, Dalano Banton, and Justin Champagnie as the team flew from Miami to Dallas ahead of Wednesday night's game against the Mavericks.
Trent posted the video of the three rookies singing Happy Birthday on his Instagram with laughing emojis.
"Appreciate y'all," he tells the rookies.
Trent has been traveling with the team despite his ailing left ankle that's kept him sidelined for the past five games. He tweaked it during pre-game warmups last week prior to Toronto's game against the New Orleans Pelicans. X-rays and an MRI on the ankle came back negative and the Raptors are hoping some rest and rehab is the best path forward.
Prior to the injury, Trent had been a key member of Toronto's starting unit. His defense had taken a massive step forward and his 1.9 steals per game was the eighth-most in the NBA. Offensively, his 16.4 points per game was a career-high on 42.1% shooting and 36.8% three-point shooting.
Toronto has Trent under contract through next season before a player option kicks in for 2023-24 that he'll likely opt-out of based on the way he's played this year.
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