Country music loving Bruce Brown pleased to remain a Raptor after trade deadline

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There was an unusual sound in the Toronto Raptors locker room following Friday night’s 107-104 win over the Houston Rockets. Country music tunes were blasting through the speakers, far from the usual celebratory post-game choice.

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But there’s a new sheriff in town, and his name is Bruce Brown. Brown, the veteran acquired from the Indiana Pacers last month in the Pascal Siakam trade is a big fan of country. He’s been regularly seen wearing cowboy hats and/or overalls in his previous stops. Hip hop is by far the most common genre preferred by NBA players. Dennis Schroder, who was traded on Thursday, used to pick a lot of the songs the Raptors played. Pre-game, Scottie Barnes had hip hop on the playlist. But post was Brown’s time to shine. Brown was singing along to Luke Bryan and other artists post-game, before a quick chat with a reporter.

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Asked whether he was relieved to be staying put when he’d been one of the most popular names bandied about in trade rumours before the deadline, Brown quickly answered: “Yes, 100%. Get that done, going to be here the rest of the year, get to know my teammates more. It’s like a weight off my shoulders,” Brown told Postmedia. “I can be just chill. Obviously a lot going on the last two weeks — maybe I leave, maybe I don’t — so, I’m glad that’s over.”

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Professional athletes get paid a lot of money and rumours and potential changes of address are part of the deal, but they are human and there’s no doubt this time of year can be extremely stressful. “It’s very tough. I feel like I just didn’t have my same energy. I wasn’t playing the same as I usually was out there. I’ve always had more energy, I was trying to get into it more,” Brown explained. Brown scored 11 points in 22 minutes against Houston.

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But now he knows he will remain a Raptor at least through this season and possibly beyond (Toronto has the option of picking up another year on his contract this summer). “I’m very excited. Young team, trying to show my leadership, if they want to know anything that I have over my years of experience, being in the playoffs, being in the Finals (and winning the NBA title with Denver last year), I’m willing to share,” he said,

Friday night proved he’ll definitely try to share his musical tastes too.

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