[From Larry Nance, Jr. to Steph Curry, there are a number of current NBA players whose dear-old dads are former NBA stars. A few decades ago, this passing of the familial torch was more rare in the NBA, and the sons of famous fathers often ran a gauntlet of catcalls and critiques that dismissed their games for failing to measure up to the family name. A classic case in point is Jon Barry, son of Rick Barry, brother of pros Scooter and Brent, and the then-rising college star Drew.
In the article below, from the March 1996 issue of the Golden State Warriors Magazine Playbook, Jon Barry talks about his basketball journey growing up Barry. The article, though Barry’s quotes are repetitive in places, offers an interesting freeze-frame of the NBA’s famous-Dad phenomenon in the 1990s. One other thing. Jon Barry would later play three seasons for the Sacramento Kings during the Chris Webber years, and he was outstanding off the bench. As mentioned here by writer Matt Steinmetz, who covered the Warriors for the Contra Costa Times (later the Bay Area News Group and other outlets), Jon Barry always accepted his role off the bench, pulled for his teammates, and played hard every night over 14 NBA seasons. That says a lot about growing up Barry.]
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Most of the time, Jon Barry doesn’t even hear it. Some of the time, Jon Barry hears it, but he brushes it aside like a piece of unwanted lint.
But once in a while, Jon Barry hears it, and the words are so personal, so exclusive that they pierce his invisible wall, one assembled by him for just these occasions. When you have to be defined through your father and your brothers, through no fault of your own, sometimes it is impossible to be anybody but Rick Barry’s son or Scooter, Brent, and Drew Barry’s brother.
Jon Barry will always be one of the Barrys.
“You hear it all the time,” said Barry, in his fourth NBA season. “I heard it in Boston when we were there (in November 1995). Some guys were saying, ‘You’re the worst of the Barrys.’ It kind of got to me when I was on the floor. But then I sat down in the locker room after the game and thought about it. I said, ‘Hey, being the worst of the Barrys isn’t so bad. We’ve got a pretty good family.”
Kind of like being the most affordable Mercedes Benz or BMW.
Jon Barry comes off the bench for the Golden State Warriors. He is often called upon by coach Rick Adelman to inject energy into a team that needs it. Of all the talents Barry possesses, perhaps the best is his ability to alter a game with a single play—a dive on the floor, a no-look pass, a silky-smooth three-point jumper.
It will never be enough. He always will be compared, either to his father, perhaps the greatest Golden State Warrior of all-time, or one of his brothers. “It used to bother me in high school,” said the graduate of De La Salle High School in Concord, Cal. “Whenever I’d play a game, they’d always mention my dad. It’s kind of like: ‘I’d like a little bit of credit. It’s me out there playing the game.’ But it comes with the territory.”
When your father is a Hall of Famer, your older brother plays professionally in Germany, your younger brother is a first-round draft choice, and your youngest brothers starts for nationally ranked Georgia Tech, you look to carve out a niche for yourself, something you can call your own.
That is the irony of Jon Barry as a basketball player. He specializes in the little things, subtle things that aren’t readily noticeable. His game usually doesn’t come out and grab you. It’s more like a tap on the shoulder.
“I do a lot of things that go unseen,” he said. “I’m not going to be a stat stuffer. I’m not out there to pump in 20 points off the bench. I am there to make hustle plays, dive on the floor, play defense, and play 100 percent every night. That’s what I do. Those things are easily forgotten. Obviously people want to hear about the guys scoring points or getting all the rebounds. That’s fine. I’m not looking for gratification through the media.
“As long as my teammates know that I’m doing the things that need to be done to win, then I’m happy. I think guys enjoy playing with me because I am an unselfish player, and I play to win. That’s the most important thing.”
No story about Jon Barry would be complete without mention of his father. Rick Barry averaged 25.6 points per game over eight seasons with Golden State. He was the NBA Rookie of the Year in 1966, was voted to the NBA All-Star team eight times, and was selected Most Valuable Player of the 1975 NBA Finals.
None of Rick Barry’s sons will ever be as good as their father. Yet none ever will have the luxury of not being compared to him. “It’s not our fault we’ve fallen in love with the same sport our fathers have loved,” said Suns assistant coach Donnie Nelson, the son of ex-Warriors coach Don Nelson. “I feel a little bad for Jon because he’s the son of such a great player. I know you have some trying times at a young age. But it makes you a more solid person. All famous sons and daughters are on top of it. Your character gets put through a lot at an early age, and you grow up a lot faster.”
Having three basketball-playing brothers kept Barry from being hardened. He was never far from a conversation or a two-on-two. Being the sons of Rick Barry united the four boys. “No one mentions the four guys who have played Division I basketball and were able to be successful,” Jon Barry said about himself and his three brothers. “Regardless of what your father’s done, four of us kids have gotten Division I scholarships.
“Two are playing in the NBA, one professionally in Germany. And Drew has a chance to make the NBA next year. That’s a good story in itself. That’s forgotten, and it might be because of who my dad is. Just because he played in the NBA, that doesn’t ensure any of us getting to the NBA.
“We had to do it on our own. We’ve been fortunate enough to make it, and that’s because of the hard work we put in, and it has nothing to do with what my father did in this league.”
Yet, in many ways, he carries the burden of his father with him into every practice and every NBA arena. As a child, each and every time he picked up a basketball, he took a little piece of his father with him. He came to live with it, and over time he realized it would always be like this.
“I’ve never had a real identity,” he said. “When I was at (Georgia) Tech, I was Rick’s son and Scooter’s brother. And now, it’s like Brent’s brother. And if Drew gets to the league, I’ll probably be Drew’s brother or Drew and Brent’s brother. It’s like it always revolves around. I don’t know if Brent and Drew get the same thing. But that’s kind of how it’s always been . . .”
Where he is now is a backup behind Latrell Sprewell, who has gotten very close to the form enjoyed two years ago when he was All-NBA First Team. That means Barry’s minutes are limited. “Spree is playing very well and at such a high level, it’s been tough to get Jon minutes,” Adelman said. “But Jon has done everything we’ve asked him to do, and he’s done it well all year long. Whether it’s 15 minutes or five minutes a game, he doesn’t need a lot of space. He really goes after it. He practices like he plays. I can’t think of too many games this season when he got in and didn’t give us a lift.”
“I knew the situation coming in,” Barry said. “There are three big-name guards here. I’ve just got to do my part in practice, whatever minutes I do get. I knew that coming in. I can’t worry about that. I want to do whatever I can do to help the team win. When Latrell is playing well, we do well. So I’m pulling for him. I have to take advantage of whatever minutes I get.”
When the minutes come is likely when Barry hears the cutting words of ruthless fans. He knows those words are coming because they always come. Those words started long ago, and while he never gets used to them, he often gets over them.
“In high school it bothered me a lot,” Barry reflected once more. “That’s when it was really bad as far as fans getting on me. Fans and other players said a lot of stuff during the game. Maybe the expectations were that I was supposed to be some superstar because of my dad. Maybe I put a lot of pressure on myself in high school to do too much. But once I left high school, I figured it was inevitable what people were going to say. I can’t worry about that.”
“It can be hard,” Nelson said. “I remember going through a lot in high school. You realize you have to accept it because you can’t change your hand—who your dad is. It’s almost like you have to outperform everyone to substantiate yourself. You can’t just barely win a job, you have to win it outright, almost just to prove things to yourself.”
Jon Barry has proven during his four NBA seasons that he can play in the league. After three seasons with Milwaukee, Barry signed with the Warriors as a free agent October 4, because he knew the Warriors needed a fourth guard.
Barry is beginning to understand his role with the Warriors. He is the best three-point shooter on the team and, when he gets his 10 or 12 minutes, everyone, including himself, knows what to expect. At 26, Jon Barry is a solid, backup off-guard. He is no Rick Barry. But that’s fine with him. “I wouldn’t consider it a blessing,” Barry said. “Maybe, only in the fact that I had a chance to be around the game. Growing up, we used to be ballboys here for the Warriors. So I had a chance to do a lot of things other kids didn’t have a chance to do. As far as coming to practice and being able to be around the game and learn by just watching, that’s the only aspect of it being a blessing. Bein
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