Chris Boucher won’t let contract change him
Chris Boucher’s story has played out like a feel-good sports movie, the kind where everyone cheers for the underdog.
Riding an overnight bus as a homeless teenager. Dropping out of high school and working as a cook in a Montreal chicken restaurant. Tearing his ACL in his senior college season at Oregon and going undrafted.
Three years later, the 27-year-old re-signed with the Toronto Raptors for a two-year deal reportedly worth US$13.5 — the richest contract in NBA history for a Canadian who went undrafted.
A reporter pointed out that now he can buy a restaurant.
“It was really hard before, so it’s a lot easier now,” Boucher said.
The Raptors on Wednesday officially announced the re-signing of Boucher and signing of Aron Baynes, who hopefully will fill the centre spots left vacant by Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol.
The 27-year-old Boucher averaged 6.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.0 block last season, injecting energy off the bench.
His hefty contract is the latest chapter in his can’t-make-this-stuff up story that saw him rise through Raptors 905, earning both MVP and defensive player of the year in the G League.
Boucher said the new deal won’t change him as a person.
“I think through the years I’ve realized who I was and the people I need to be around, and COVID-19 also kind of structured me a little better on what I need, what’s important,” he said.
“I think money won’t change that. It’s definitely going to help me with my family. I don’t want my mom to work no more. That’s definitely one thing I’m going to take care of. And . . . I think just to try to keep the love of basketball, try to get better, not get too comfortable and learn from my mistakes.”
A couple of hours after Boucher’s Zoom call, Baynes virtually met the Toronto media. Sprinkling his answers with “mate” and “cheers,” the New Zealand-born Aussie showed why he’s so popular.
He has one of the most popular athlete fan accounts on Twitter with 62,000 followers. The account heralded his signing with Toronto, posting: “TARONTO RAPTORS” and “TAMPA BAYNES,” the latter in reference to the Raptors’ temporary home base to start the season.
The account also posted a tweet defending Baynes’ three-point shot along with Kyle Lowry’s age when a reporter predicted the Raptors would be worse this season because of those factors.
“Aron Baynes had already proven that his three-pointer is real and Kyle Lowry will never drop off for he is immortal,” the post said.
Baynes said the account makes him laugh.
“They’re usually pretty entertaining so to me there’s a lot of positivity coming from it.”