NBA veteran, world champion and award-winning podcast host are all titles that Matt Barnes holds, but none would have been possible without him staying true to who he is, Barnes says.
Barnes spoke with TCU students Tuesday night, kicking off the annual leadership speak series. He spoke about how owning his identity helped make him a leader, both on and off the court.
Barnes, who played 14 years in the NBA, said sports became an outlet for him and helped him turn his enemies into lifelong friends. He was born in San Jose, California, but he said he faced heavy racism and bullying when his family moved to Sacramento.
He attended University of California, Los Angeles and was drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2002 NBA draft. After playing on a few G-League teams and finally working his way up the chain, Barnes said he became more of a role player in the league.
(photo by Chuck Burton/Associated Press)
Known for his aggressive attitude and defense on the court, Barnes quickly was deemed the ‘villain’ of the league.
“I was the guy you hated to play against, but loved to have on your team,” Barnes said. He was not going to change who he
was because of what the media had to say about him.
He played for seven different teams, but never saw it as a negative thing.
“I always thought about it like, I’m in a new city, who can I meet that is sitting on the front row of these games,” Barnes said.
Making connections was always something Barnes saw as more valuable than the game and he would take these into his post-game career. After winning the 2017 NBA title with the Golden State Warriors, Barnes retired and started dabbling in other fields.
He became a spokesperson in the NBA Players Association, where he advocated for players who need to use cannabis to medicate, helping with things like pain management, anxiety, and insomnia. He knew the struggles and long process’ he had to go through while medicating during his time playing and felt that it was time for the NBA to make a change.
After several doctors being brought in and a two month pause in the 2020 season due to COVID-19, the league finally agreed to stop testing players for cannabis.
Linking back to those connections he made while playing in the league, ESPN reached out to Barnes to make a guest appearance on a show for one day. He swore to himself that he would never take any part in the media after being on the other side of things, but he said why not.
He talked with his colleagues and shared his thoughts and feelings on controversial topics on camera. ESPN would soon offer him a one-year contract that quickly extended into a three-year contract.
“Staying true to who I was the whole time is what I can truly say helped me climb in the media and in the entrepreneurial world,” Barnes said.
Being his authentic self is something that he is always took pride in and wanted to make sure to do that when starting up his Showtime podcast, All the Smoke.
The award winning podcast, hosted by himself and Stephen Jackson, features the two’s unfiltered and unapologetic perspective on topics including basketball, culture, social justice, politics, and more.
“I wanted to be able to create a safe space for people to come and tell their truths while being unapologetic,” Barnes said.
Throughout his time spent in the NBA, on ESPN and on his Showtime podcast, Matt Barnes has never watered himself down nor has he shied away from showing his true colors and that is what he credits to landing him in the position he is in today.
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