Three years after winning a championship with the Golden State Warriors, Matt Barnes didn’t have his ring with him. The Dubs got to work to return the ring and Barnes finally got it back on Tuesday afternoon.
On prior occasions, Barnes stated he felt he got a free ring but Warriors head coach Steve Kerr made it clear that he was an NBA champion for the rest of his life and nothing was going to change that.
“I came in when KD went down, playing a consistent 20-25 minutes,” Barnes said on his ‘All the Smoke’ podcast earlier this year. “The game KD comes back, I get hurt maybe a week before the playoffs and I’m out of it. I got a free ride, I got a free ring.”
He appeared on ESPN’s ‘The Jump’ on Tuesday, where Kerr and the Warriors gave him his ring and a big message about his help to the team in 2017 and even before that.
“Hey, Matt. Congratulations — about time you took this ring. We’ve been trying to get it to you for about three years, so. No, in all seriousness, I just want to say this was well-deserved. You played a big role on our team in 2017, especially when KD [Kevin Durant] went down, and you were a great leader. You were fantastic to coach, one of the most competitive people I’ve ever been around and you brought Warriors fans a lot of thrills over the years going back to the ‘We Believe’ era. So, thank you for everything you’ve done for our organization. Enjoy the ring. You are an NBA champion forever, and don’t ever forget that.”
“You are an NBA Champion forever and don’t ever forget it.” — Steve Kerr@matt_barnes22's 2017 Championship ring made its way from The Bay to LA and into the hands of MB on today’s episode of @ESPN's The Jump. pic.twitter.com/tkAnMTIySM
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) August 25, 2020
After three years, @Matt_Barnes22 and his 2017 @warriors championship ring have been united 💍 pic.twitter.com/QoUOoPMXIK
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) August 25, 2020
After that, Barnes revealed that more than pride, what kept him apart from his ring was a locked door.
“Because this thing’s so big, I didn’t want to sit in the stands with it, so they put it in a room. And when I was ready to leave, the room was locked, and it’s just been cat and mouse ever since,” Barnes said.
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A post shared by matt_barnes9 (@matt_barnes9) on Aug 25, 2020 at 7:47pm PDT
Well, now everything is done and Barnes has his ring with him. If he had doubts about his NBA champion status, Steve Kerr made sure to dispel them. A great gesture from a great organization as the Golden State Warriors.
