Collin Murray-Boyles #12 of the Toronto Raptors reacts to a foul call during the first quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena on January 18, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
(Katelyn Mulcahy via Getty Images)
The last thing you want to do during your first year as an NBA player is forget your rookie duties.
Collin Murray-Boyles was selected ninth overall in the 2025 NBA draft by the Toronto Raptors. So far, he’s had an impressive campaign on the court, which he’s done by priding himself on doing the dirty work and battling some of the strongest players in the league in the post.
None of that was able to save him from punishment for failing to perform his rookie duties for his teammates, though, as Murray-Boyles made his way back to his car at Scotiabank Arena after “Fan Day” on Monday to find it had been fully stuffed with popcorn.
“This was good execution by the whole team,” forward Sandro Mamukelashvili jovially said. “Everybody had a part in it. That’s what he gets for not doing his rookie duties.”
Rookie duties have long been tradition in the NBA, ranging from carrying bags and gear for teammates to taking care of personal errands and chores and even paying for a full team dinner. Murray-Boyles later admitted that while he doesn’t shy away from his rookie responsibilities, he works so hard at practice and in the gym he might be late in taking care of those other tasks.
“I’ve done everything,” Murray-Boyles defiantly said. “They complain I was being late to the games, coming out, but I was just trying to get better. I guess working hard just gets you punished.”
Even at Tuesday’s practice, Murray-Boyles was one of the last players on the court getting shots up, hoping to make a return from a left-thumb injury at some point during the Raptors’ upcoming five-game road trip.
Again, even injury didn’t earn him any kind of sympathy, making for some hilarious content that mostly everyone besides Murray-Boyles found amusing.
“He was pissed, he was very mad,” Raptors starting point guard Immanuel Quickley said. “That popcorn was fire. I had a little bit.”
Instagram comments on Collin Murray-Boyles popcorn post by Raptors (Credit: Instagram/Raptors)
Many fans noted how it was going to be such a chore to clean the car out, and as “nicolevrealty” on Instagram suggested, popcorn smell doesn’t go away.
Businesses in the GTA jumped at the chance to help Murray-Boyles in his predicament, offering detailing services while the Audi Mississauga Instagram account joked, “How many bags of popcorn does a Q8 hold? 🤣”
Car detailing companies reach out to Collin Murray-Boyles (Credit: Instagram/Raptors)
Murray-Boyles did confirm at practice Tuesday that his car is already in the process of getting cleaned out. It’s unknown whether he did actually take one of these companies up on their offer. He did confirm, though, that the popcorn was indeed buttered.
While many got a good chuckle from the video and seeing Murray-Boyles receiving some rookie treatment, there were a few who didn’t seem too impressed and thought the treatment was unfair and unnecessary.
Ultimately, what was at the heart of Murray-Boyles getting popcorn in his car is a bit of a backhanded compliment based on what Quickley said after practice.
The 20-year-old consistently shows he has a really high basketball IQ, brings the level of physicality you don’t expect from a rookie, and appears to be well beyond his years in almost every aspect.
“This is the problem that we popcorn-ed his car, because he acts like he’s been in the league for so long,” Quickley said. “On the court as well, he’s very mature in the fact that he knows where to be on the floor, he’s always two steps ahead offensively and defensively, and then obviously his athleticism takes over.”
Murray-Boyles just might need to be more of a kid to stop getting treated like one, or at least stop getting pranked.
Toronto starts its five-game road trip Wednesday night in Chicago before heading to the west coast for the next four games.