Ryan Arcidiacono's got that bag.
Arcidiacono was playfully roasted by New York Knicks teammates Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart for the size of his travel bag as they and the rest of the team boarded their flight home from Canada following Friday's 119-106 win over the Toronto Raptors. The comedic exchange among collegiate teammates was captured by Brunson and posted to his Instagram story and preserved by X account New York Basketball.
"Tell the world why you've got that big-a** backpack on," Brunson, hardly able to contain his laughter as he walks in for a better look at Arcidiacono's blue and orange travel bag, requests. Arcidiacono, also laughing, briefly wards Brunson by spraying the contents of his water bottle on him. "You've got a big-a** backpack! Yo, that's the world's largest backpack, bro."
Once on board the plane, Arcidiacono empties his bag and it's easy to see how it attained such a legendary, weighty status in the eyes of Brunson, who notes that his fellow former Villanova Wildcat had a "whole parka" in his bag. The unveiling, which also includes his water bottle, iPad, and per diem, draws a slight crowd that includes another Villanova alum, Josh Hart, who starts singing "Backpack, Backpack," a song from the children's program "Dora the Explorer."
That draws mock annoyance from Arcidiacono, who offers humorous commentary on Hart's endeavors at Scotiabank Arena.
"Josh has one good game and he's all talk," Arcidiacono says, commenting on Hart's 17-point outing against the Raptors. Brunson agrees, but Hart advises Arcidiacono not "be mad at (him) because you got a fat-a** backpack."
With exchanges like these, it's easy to see why Arcidiacono, one of the final men to come off the Knicks' bench, has stuck around in New York. Much has been made about the Knicks' Villanova contingent, which came up big in the win over the Raptors. Brunson led Knicks scorers with 22 points while Hart and Donte DiVincenzo united for 38 off the bench.
Arcidiacono and his backpack have another trip ahead of them as the Knicks (12-7) will hot the road again when they face the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG/TNT).
More must-reads: