Harrison Barnes

Harrison Barnes is a professional basketball player in the NBA. Harrison Barnes became one of only 55 active players with over 10,000 career points after his 29-point outburst against the Bucks.

Barnes has been one of the Kings’ most dependable players during his career with the franchise.

He is the team’s second-leading scorer (16.3 points per game), trailing only De’Aaron Fox, and has the third-most rebounds.

Family

Harrison Barnes was born on 30 May 1992, in Ames, Iowa to Shirley Barnes and Ronnie Harris.

However, he was raised solely by his mother after his father abandoned him and his younger sister to care for Barnes’ ailing grandparents, but he never returned.

In late 1991, the future mom of Dallas Mavericks veteran forward Barnes was unmarried, facing financial difficulties, and soon discovered she was carrying a baby boy.

Shirley spent a large portion of her free time obsessively analyzing films of her favorite basketball player, Michael Jordan, as Harrison grew in his mother’s womb.

She was meticulous in analyzing how MJ slashed the lane, dazzled opponents with flawless shooting, and shrugged his way to greatness.

She admired his competitive spirit and dedication to excellence both on and off the court.

Shirley gave birth to Harrison Bryce Jordan Barnes on May 30, 1992, during Game 6 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals.

That night, the man after whom he was named went on to score 16 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter as Jordan and the Chicago Bulls advanced to the NBA Finals for the second consecutive season.

Height and Weight

Harrison Barnes is just one inch taller than the NBA’s average stature at 6 feet 8 inches (2.03 m).

He also weighs 225 pounds, or 102 kilograms.

Harrison is virtually usually the tallest man in the room when he is not competing on the field, with the average height of an American man being 1.79 meters.

Facts of Harrison Barnes

Net Worth

Harrison Barnes’s net worth is estimated to be $23 million.

Even if that figure pales compared to LeBron James, it’s still nothing to sneeze at.

Barnes has earned more than $127 million in salary by the end of the 2020-21 season, according to Spotrac’s financial data.

While he was a vital member of the Warriors’ championship team, the forward only earned $12 million during his time in the Bay Area. However, his earning potential has grown since then.

In 2016, he signed a four-year, $94 million contract with the Mavericks, and in 2019, he signed a new $85 million contract with the Kings.

Barnes is sponsored by Harman International, Hy-Vee, PepsiCo, and United Sports Brands.

First NBA Paycheck

When you think of big-time NBA players making millions of dollars per season, it’s easy to imagine them spending it all on cars, mansions, and other ‘toys.’

On the other hand, Sacramento Kings forward Barnes has chosen to focus on something else.

While the NBA champion now has a sizable net worth, things were a little different when he first entered the league. Harrison used his first big check as a rookie to ensure he got a good night’s sleep.

Barnes’ net worth leads him to afford almost anything he wants. However, when he first joined the league, he was more concerned with something more mundane: a new mattress.

While going mattress shopping isn’t the most exciting activity in the world, Barnes wasn’t afraid to put in the effort to find his ideal sleep setup. If anything, he felt it was “like Christmas,” and he was there to get his present.

From Homelessness to NBA

Shirley faced one of her most difficult challenges when Harrison was three months old. It turned out to be her and her son’s first experience with homelessness.

Shirley was preparing to move into public housing when officials called two weeks before her move to tell her she didn’t qualify.

She was forced to swaddle her son in a baby blue blanket and walk through the doors of a local homeless shelter because she was desperate and had few resources.

The family fished for coins between seats or ate very little to afford basketball registration fees to get a few dollars for gas. Shirley’s memories are still vivid even after all these years.

Harrison was too young to recall his humble origins.

But he remembers vividly the extraordinary life his mother provided for him and his younger sister, Jourdan-Ashle Barnes, who was also named after Michael Jordan.

Charity Works

Throughout his eight NBA seasons, Harrison and his wife, Brittany, have worked hard to connect with those in the various communities in which they live.

Barnes donated $25,000 to a different foundation for each game he played in the NBA’s bubble, highlighting their mission on his various social media.

One of the eight organizations he chose was the Atatiana Project, which focuses on assisting children in pursuing careers in science, math, engineering, and technology.

He has contributed nearly $200,000 to renovate his alma mater, Ames High School in Iowa.

He gave $40,000 to deliver weekly groceries to Sacramento families and seniors and another $40,000 to provide daily meals to the Dallas Independent School District.

Harrison and his wife hope to continue imparting change off the court whenever that may be.

Career in High School

Barnes was ranked first in the class of 2010 by Scout.com and the ESPNU 100. He was ranked second in the world by Rivals.com.

In his junior year, Barnes and classmate Doug McDermott led Ames High School to an Iowa 4A state championship, with Barnes scoring 24 points and grabbing eight rebounds in the final, concluding a 26–0 season.

In his senior year, Barnes and McDermott led Ames to a 27–0 season and a second consecutive Iowa 4A state championship, making them Iowa’s first big-school class to go unbeaten in consecutive seasons.

Barnes concluded his high school career as Ames High School’s all-time top scorer with 1,787 points.

In 2010, he also participated in the Jordan Brand Classic and was crowned co-MVP alongside Kyrie Irving.

Barnes got the Morgan Wootten Player of the Year Award on March 10, 2010, which is given to the top player in the country. Before graduating from high school, Barnes acquired nine AP credits.

Recruitment

Duke, Iowa State, Kansas, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and UCLA all offered Barnes scholarships.

Barnes paid unofficial visits to Kansas twice, once for Late Night in the Phog in October 2008 and again for a spring game versus Tennessee in 2009.

He visited North Carolina, Duke, Kansas, UCLA, and Oklahoma on official trips, but he did not visit Iowa State. Instead, because he lived barely a mile from campus, he paid an unofficial visit.

On November 13, 2009, Barnes phoned North Carolina coach Roy Williams over Skype to announce his decision to join the Tar Heels.

College Life

Barnes made his North Carolina debut in an exhibition game in the Bahamas against the Commonwealth Bank Giants, scoring 21 points. With a score of 130–87, UNC won the game.

Barnes sank the game-winning three-point shot with 6.6 seconds left to give the Tar Heels the lead versus Miami.

Just a few weeks later, he hit a three-pointer to give the Tar Heels the victory over Florida State.

Barnes declared on April 18, 2011, that despite being predicted as a lottery pick in the 2011 NBA draft, he would return to North Carolina for his sophomore season.

Along with Jared Sullinger, Kyrie Irving, and Derrick Williams, Barnes was considered a possible first-round choice. He earned the sixth ACC Rookie of the Year in school history, and the fourth under coach Roy Williams.

Barnes is the first rookie to score 78 points in the ACC tournament since Phil Ford in 1975. He scored 84 points in the NCAA tournament, the most by any UNC rookie ever.

Career Opportunities

Barnes was taken seventh overall by the Golden State Warriors on draft night.

As a rookie, his versatility helped him make an immediate impression, and he started 81 games. Things only got better for Barnes during his sophomore season, when he was the sixth man.

After Steve Kerr took over as coach, Barnes returned to the Warriors’ starting lineup. He was a key player of the 2015 championship team and the 72-win 2015-16 team before leaving town in free agency.

Barnes began his career with the Dallas Mavericks until being dealt with by the Sacramento Kings in February 2019.

Despite the fact that those clubs did not have the same success as the Warriors, the forward has established himself as a strong player.

Barnes has scored over 3,000 points for three separate NBA teams, including 3090 points with Sacramento. He is optimistic that there will be many more.

Basketball Skills Improvement

Barnes’ scoring profile has largely excluded the midrange so far. Throughout his career, he made 75% of his shots from three feet or less.

In 2021-22, that number has risen to approximately 93 percent. His shooting has been extremely diverse as well.

He’s been deployed in pick-and-pops, stagger screens, and stretch bigs. When defenders provide airspace on dribble handoffs, their fate is written.

He’s demonstrated a penchant for quickening his release in close battles to avoid being disturbed by their presence.

He’s also completed five of ten pull-up long balls, and these aren’t your typical attempts. Several of his buckets demonstrate his shot-making expertise.

Wife

Harrison Barnes married Brittany Johnson, with whom he had been in a long-term relationship.

After being engaged in August 2016 while on vacation in Costa Rica, the pair married in July 2017 in Newport, Rhode Island, at a star-studded ceremony at Oceanside.

Mrs. Barnes grew up in the city of San Francisco. She earned a B.S. in English and Literature from Spellman College and a B.S. in Global Studies and African-American Studies from the University of North Carolina.

It would be an understatement to say they aren’t into the flash and glamour associated with the NBA by many fans and players, especially Brittany.

She jokes at how odd their love seemed when they met by happenstance at the University of North Carolina while they were both students.

Brittany had been so removed from any sort of basketball life at UNC that she had no idea her university was better known for being Michael Jordan’s alma mater than for the outstanding journalism program for which she had traveled across the country.

How Did Brittany Johnson and Harrison Barnes Meet?

On a typical summer day, Harrison and Brittany Barnes, then senior year college students out with their friends grabbing some food, ended up meeting in Chapel Hill’s [B]Skis food court on Franklin Street.

The minor incident developed into a love story between the two, which only they were aware of at the time.

When Harrison realized he wanted Brittany more than anything else, he connected.

He tried to impress the girl who wasn’t into basketball players at the time, like a hopeless romantic.

To get Brittany’s number, Harrison practiced his Hollywood moves and meticulously scouted out her favorite ice cream flavor.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the ice cream acted as a catalyst for Brittany, who stood proudly outside her house, holding her favorite Java chip ice cream, watching the NBA player!

Mr. Basketball’s unwavering spirit altered the course of events. His ignore calls and texts were soon answered, and the couple made their relationship official in November 2012.

Interests

Barnes’ mother worked as a secretary in Iowa State’s music school, so he attended concerts there as a child.

He admired how a large group of people could come together and play as one.

In fifth grade, he began playing the instrument and marched in the band throughout high school; he also played cello.

Last season, Barnes competed in the NBA Talent Challenge on alto sax, performing John Legend’s “All of Me.”

Barnes has expressed some interest in a political career after his basketball career is over, whether he was serious or not.

Growing up in Iowa, the first state to hold a presidential caucus each cycle, the young wing has witnessed how competitive election races can be.

Also Read:  Matt Olson,                Nikola Mirotic        Carli Lloyd

Most Disrespected NBA Player

Harrison is one of the NBA’s most underappreciated and overlooked players.

He may be one of the league’s most overlooked assets.

The first factor that contributes to Barnes’ common misconceptions is his reputation.

Following his poor performance in his final games with the Warriors, he was rewarded by Mark Cuban and the Mavericks with a $22 million per year contract that many claimed he did not deserve.

Later, he signed a four-year contract with Sacramento that would pay him $24 million in the first year.

Big bucks for a guy who had only played 28 games for Sacramento and had averaged 14.3 points per game.

Not only does Barnes have a reputation as an overpaid role player in the NBA, but a large portion of the Kings fan base is also unhappy with his contract and overall position on the team.

Social Media Presence

Barnes is active on various social media platforms. Below is the link to his social media accounts;

His Instagram has 1m followers, his Twitter has 593.2k followers and his Facebook has 1m followers.