Matt Barnes is one of the most beloved former players in the NBA community. He made a name for himself by being a gritty player on the court and was never a superstar. However, his post-playing career has seen him rise through the ranks of sports media to be one of the most respected voices on the game.
Another former player who has done the same is J.J. Redick, whose podcast ‘Old Man and the Three’ has become a cult favorite amongst basketball fans. Redick had Barnes on as a guest recently and Matt cleared the air on an infamous rumor about him not wanting to accept the 2017 championship ring he had won as a part of the Golden State Warriors.
“I went to Golden State because KD hurt his knee. I instantly went and played 25 minutes my first game. It was a dream come true. It was some of the most selfless basketball I have ever played in my life. But the game KD came back, literally one of the worst ankle sprains of my career. It felt like I broke my ankle. This was maybe a week before the Playoffs, so I never really got to play.”
Barnes averaged 20.5 minutes across 20 games for the Warriors, not taking the floor in the Playoffs due to his ankle injury. Being a part of the bench on one of the greatest team’s ever constructed with Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green had Barnes feeling like his contributions didn’t affect the outcome of the season.
“I have earned everything in my career and nothing has been given to me. I didn’t have to guard LeBron, I didn’t have to guard Kawhi, guard Dame, or CJ. If I was healthy, I would’ve. The way my body’s been my entire career, I feel like I earned a ring. But that Warriors situation, I had front row seats to the greatest show on hardwood.”
The 2017 Golden State Warriors won the NBA Finals after beating the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers in 5 games. It was the first title of Kevin Durant’s career and the only title-winning team Matt Barnes has been a part of. However, Barnes never took the ring the Warriors presented to him after his retirement home, as it was locked inside a room in the STAPLES Center and the person with the keys had already left the arena.
“Two years later I hear a story ‘Matt Barnes didn’t want his ring’, which I find hella disrespectful to Golden State. They gave me an opportunity and I appreciate that opportunity. It is just the way it had to happen with the guy who had my ring not being there to give it to me. “They presented it to me on The Jump. Someone drove down from The Bay and brought it, so I do have the ring. There just a major misconception about me that I didn’t want the ring.”
After laying out why he felt his 2017 Championship win was undeserved, Barnes told his former Los Angeles Clippers teammate Redick about how a championship would have meant more if they had won it together during their time on the ‘Lob City Clippers‘.
“I don’t ever want to come off as disrespectful, as I had a tremendous opportunity with a great group of guys to get a ring that has my name on it. But I was just with those guys post All-Star break, so half a season? Those guys (GSW) were always our rivals, we had a small low-key rivalry when we played for the Clippers. I always feel like the Lob City team missed out… It would’ve meant more with guys we played with for 3-4 years and built something. I took so much pride in playing for the Clippers. I played for the Lakers and there’s nothing like playing for the Lakers, but I’ve always been an underdog. So, I took pride in trying to help a piece of sh*t team find an identity… I was appreciative of the opportunity with Golden State, but if we won a ring with the Clippers, it’d be a lot more meaningful.”
The Warriors still have their core three players in Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Stephen Curry on the team, while Kevin Durant moved on to Brooklyn in 2019. Barnes may have a championship ring inside his trophy case, but it has to be a bittersweet one knowing his contributions didn’t make the difference as they would have on the Clippers or the 2009 Orlando Magic, another team that Barnes and Redick were on together.
