Matt Barnes

Matt Kelly Barnes, the former American professional basketball player, played in the NBA league for 14 seasons. He represented different teams in the professional basketball league from 2002 to 2017. Born on March 9, 1980, in Santa Clara, California, currently, Matt is a basketball analyst for ESPN and NBC Sports California. He won the NBA championship in 2017 while playing with the Golden State Warriors. Barnes was drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2002 NBA draft. But he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers immediately. The Cavaliers further traded him to the Fayetteville Patriots for the NBA D-League.

Matt Barnes Early Life

Matt Barnes was born in a Christian family. His mother, Ann Barnes, was white and died in November 2007 due to lung cancer. Matt had a very close relationship with his mother. His father, Henry Barnes, was an African American. Hence, he belongs to a mixed ethnicity.

Matt has two siblings – Jason Barnes and Dannielle Barnes. Matt has many tattoos in memory of his mother, including the words ‘RIP Mother’. During the early years of his life, Matt Barnes had to face racism due to being half White and half African. Matt played both basketball and football in his school. After finishing schooling, Barnes joined the college in 1998 and then entered the NBA in 2002.

Matt Barnes NBA Journey

It was the 2002 NBA draft when Matt Barnes entered the National Basketball Association league. The Memphis Grizzlies drafted him with the 46th overall pick but traded him immediately to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He was further assigned to the NBA D-League, and Matt joined the Fayetteville Patriots for the 2002-03 season. Later, Barnes moved to the ABA’s franchise Long Beach Jam for their first season in 2003. The Long Beach Jam won the ABA championship with a 24-7 record. Barnes played with Dennis Rodman and averaged 18.9 points and 6.8 rebounds.

Matt Barnes joined the Los Angeles Clippers to serve them for the 2nd half of the 2003-04 NBA season. After joining the Sacramento Kings in October 2014, he played his debut game for the Kings averaging 17 points and 9 rebounds. Meanwhile, Matt was traded halfway through the 2004-05 season to the 76ers. But he struggled with a knee injury.

In October 2005, Barnes moved to the New York Knicks as a free agent but was waived by the team soon after playing only six games. He was then acquired by the Philadelphia 76ers, where he completed the 2005-06 season.

In 2006, Matt Barnes signed a deal with the Golden State Warriors for the first time in his career. He was given more playing time with the Warriors. Matt tied the Warriors franchise record of seven three-point field goals on December 26, 2006. But Jason Richardson broke the record later that season by hitting 8 three-pointers. Barnes made 106 three-pointers in the 2006-07 season. However, he made only 10 three-pointers in his career before joining the Warriors. He signed a contract extension (one year) with the Warriors on August 6, 2007.

Matt Barnes moved to the Phoenix Suns under a one-year deal on July 22, 2008. After serving the Suns for a year, he joined the Orlando Magic under a 2-year deal in July 2009. But he opted out of the final year after his team’s elimination in the 2010 NBA playoffs. He signed with the Los Angeles Lakers in July 2010 and then the Los Angeles Clippers in September 2012. He was named Defensive Player of the Year for the Clippers in June 2013.

A month later, Matt signed a multi-year deal with the same franchise. He was fined USD 25,000 for using his Twitter account during the game in November 2013. It was a violation of the NBA’s rules. Barnes also was penalized with a fine of USD 25,000 for kicking a water bottle during a game against the Washington Wizards on December 13.

Matt Barnes and Spencer Hawes were traded to the Charlotte Hornets on June 15, 2015. But on June 25, he was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies. He witnessed a 2-game suspension in December 2015 due to physical altercations with the New York Knicks coach Derek Fisher. He posted a career-high 25 points in a game against the Lakers. Barnes registered his first career triple-double, including 26 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in a win against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Matt Barnes signed with the Sacramento Kings in July 2016 but was waived by the team in February 2017. In the next month, Matt entered the Golden State Warriors and tasted his first-ever NBA championship. In the regular season, he started in 5 out of 20 games he played with the Warriors. They defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers (4-1) in the NBA Finals.

Matt Barnes announced his retirement from the NBA via an Instagram post on December 11, 2017.

Matt Barnes Education

Matt Barnes attended Del Campo High School based in Fair Oaks, California. In school, he was a letterman in both basketball and football. Matt earned several honors and awards during his schooling, including All-State, All-American, All-CIF, All-City, and All-League etc. Later, Matt Barnes joined the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1998. He completed his graduation in 2002. He played four seasons for his university and was an All-Pacific-10 Honorable Mention in 2001.

Matt Barnes Championship

In his around 15-year-long professional basketball career, Matt Barnes won the NBA championship only a single time. He lifted the trophy in 2017 when he was playing the last season of his career with the Golden State Warriors. Barnes played for several other teams, such as the Los Angeles Clippers, Sacramento Kings, Knicks, 76ers, Suns, Magic, Lakers and Grizzlies.

Matt Barnes Awards and Achievements

Matt Barnes's Net Worth

Matt Barnes’ net worth is approximately USD 15 million, as per various online sources. Most of his wealth came from his professional basketball career. However, he also earned from investments in different business ventures and real estate. Barnes made media appearances that also contributed to his fortune. Presently, Matt is a sports analyst with ESPN and NBC Sports.

Matt Barnes Contract

Matt Barnes signed a number of professional contracts with different teams throughout his 15-year-long career. He signed a deal with the Long Beach Jam (ABA) in 2003 before having a contract with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2004. Further, Matt signed a contract with the Sacramento Kings and then a free-agent contract with the New York Knicks. In 2005 and 2006, Barnes signed an agreement with the Philadelphia 76ers and the Warriors, respectively.

In July 2008, Matt signed a one-year contract with the Phoenix Suns before having a two-year deal with the Orlando Magic in July 2009. After that, Barnes signed with the Los Angeles Lakers but returned to the Clippers in September 2012. Matt Barnes signed contracts with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2015, Sacramento in 2016, and the Warriors in 2017.

Matt Barnes Family

Matt Barnes has his father and two siblings in the family. His mother died of lung cancer in 2007. In terms of his personal life, Barnes was previously married to Gloria Govan. They had been friends since high school and then started dating each other. In 2012, the pair tied the knot in the presence of their family members and close friends. Together, the couple also share twins. However, they divorced in 2006.

Matt Barnes's Girlfriend

Anansa Sims is the girlfriend of Matt Barnes. She is a designer, motivational speaker and TV personality. Born on December 27, 1978, to Danny Sims and Beverley Johnson, Anansa has been a part of many popular television shows. She met Barnes for the first time when he was playing for the UCLA Bruins. The couple took years before they started dating each other. The couple gave birth to a baby boy named Ashton Barnes on December 7, 2018.

Matt Barnes's Dad

There is not much information available on the internet about Matt’s father Henry Barnes. He was an African-American who married a White woman. Together, they have three children.

Matt Barnes Shoes

Matt Barnes wore Nike Zoom Live shoes in his professional basketball career. Apart from that, he also has been spotted with the signature sneakers of his teammate, Kevin Durant. Adidas, however, withdrew the deal with the athlete following his nightclub incident in 2016.