Richard Francis Dennis Barry III was born on March 28,1944 and is an American retired professional basketball player who starred at the NCAA, American Basketball Association and National Basketball Association levels.
39 Facts About Rick Barry
2.
Rick Barry is the only one to lead the National Collegiate Athletic Association, ABA, and NBA in points per game in a season.
3.
Rick Barry was the only player to score at least 50 points in a Game 7 of the playoffs in either league until Stephen Curry and Jayson Tatum both reached that mark in 2023.
4.
Rick Barry is one of only four players to be a part of a championship team in both leagues.
5.
Rick Barry is widely known for his unorthodox underhand free throw technique.
6.
In October 2021, Rick Barry was honored as one of the league's greatest players of all-time by being named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.
7.
Rick Barry grew up in Roselle Park, New Jersey, where baseball was his best sport as a youth.
8.
Rick Barry decided to attend the University of Miami, largely because the Hurricanes adhered to an up-tempo, pro-style system under head coach Bruce Hale that was conducive to his skills and athleticism.
9.
Rick Barry was drafted by the San Francisco Warriors with the second pick of the 1965 NBA draft.
10.
Rick Barry was inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame in 1976, and his number 24 jersey has been retired by the Hurricanes.
11.
At odds with Warriors owner Franklin Mieuli over unpaid incentive monies due him, Rick Barry moved to the ABA's Oakland Oaks, who overwhelmed him with a historic contract offer.
12.
Bruce Hale, who coached at Miami and was the father-in-law for Rick Barry, was tapped to serve as head coach.
13.
Rick Barry became the first marquee NBA player to jump to the rival league.
14.
Rick Barry signed for a salary of $75,000 along with 15 percent ownership of the Oaks and 5 percent of Oaks' gate receipts above $600,000.
15.
Rick Barry preceded St Louis Cardinals' outfielder Curt Flood, whose better-known challenge to the reserve clause went all the way to the US Supreme Court, by two years as the first American major-league professional athlete to bring a court action against it.
16.
Rick Barry was hardly alone in his vision as numerous NBA players saw the rival league as a rare opportunity to enhance their careers.
17.
Rick Barry had his season come to an abrupt halt on December 27,1968, when late in a game against the New York Nets, he was blindsided by Ken Wilburn on a drive to the basket and tore left knee ligaments on the play.
18.
Rick Barry attempted to come back in January 1969, only to aggravate the injury and sit out the remainder of the season.
19.
Rick Barry took part in only 35 games but still was named to the ABA All-Star team.
20.
In Game 7 on the road, Rick Barry went off for 52 points, the most scored in a seventh and deciding game in professional basketball history.
21.
The negative comments were not the primary reason; rather, Squires owner Earl Foreman was mired in financial troubles and sold Rick Barry to help meet expenses.
22.
Rick Barry became the ABA record holder for most consecutive free throws in one game with 23.
23.
On June 23,1972, a United States District Court judge issued a preliminary injunction to prohibit Rick Barry from playing for any team other than the Golden State Warriors after his contract with the Nets ended.
24.
That is, Rick Barry took on a role similar to that of a point guard and became the chief facilitator of the offense.
25.
The Warriors went on to capture the Pacific Division crown as Rick Barry had the best all-around season of his career.
26.
Rick Barry was named NBA Finals Most Valuable Player on the strength of 29.5 points, 5.0 assists and 3.5 steals per game.
27.
Rick Barry averaged 23.1 points per game in his farewell season with the Warriors.
28.
Rick Barry finished with a career-high 502 assists to become the first true small forward to reach the 500 mark in one season.
29.
Rick Barry finished second in his division at the 2005 World Long Drive Championship.
30.
Rick Barry is part owner and promoter for the Ektio basketball shoe, which doctor and former college basketball player Rick Barry Katz designed to reduce ankle injuries.
31.
Rick Barry was among the first professional basketball players to make a successful transition to the broadcasting profession.
32.
Rick Barry continues to work in the field, a career that began with his own radio show in San Francisco and CBS while still an active player and then with TBS.
33.
Rick Barry tried to joke that "it looks like some fool over there with that big watermelon grin".
34.
Rick Barry later apologized for the comment, claiming that he did not realize that a reference to watermelons had racial overtones.
35.
The next season Rick Barry filled in on a few Seattle SuperSonics broadcasts, but a plan for a full-time position fell through when he insisted that his then-wife be allowed to join him when the team was on the road, which would have been contrary to team policy.
36.
The next year, Rick Barry was featured in a lengthy Sports Illustrated article written by Tony Kornheiser in which he lamented the failure of his broadcasting career to that point, as well as the fact that he'd left a reputation within NBA circles for being an unlikeable person.
37.
One of the more notable games Rick Barry called as play-by-play announcer on TBS was Game 5 of the 1985 Eastern Conference Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers, where Larry Bird made a last-second steal which sealed the win and the Eastern Conference Championship for the Celtics.
38.
Rick Barry was a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity.
39.
Rick Barry has four sons and a daughter with his first wife Pam: Scooter, Jon, Brent, Drew and Shannon.