Rick Barry

Richard Francis Dennis Barry III was born on March 28, 1944, in Elizabeth, New Jersey, into a basketball family — his father played semi-professionally, and Rick was handling a basketball before he was old enough to ride a bicycle. He attended the University of Miami (Florida), where he developed into one of the most skilled forwards in college basketball, averaging 29.8 points per game in 1964-65 and earning All-American honors. His combination of shooting range, footwork, and competitive ferocity marked him immediately as an NBA-caliber talent. The San Francisco Warriors selected Barry 2nd overall in the 1965 NBA Draft. His first two seasons were a revelation — in 1966-67, he led the NBA in scoring with 35.6 points per game, earning All-NBA First Team honors and establishing himself as one of the league's elite players. His shooting technique was distinctive and peculiar: he shot free throws underhanded, a method known as the "granny shot" that the basketball world mocked but which produced results — Barry shot 90.0% from the free-throw line over his career, one of the highest marks in history. Barry left the Warriors after the 1967 season to join the American Basketball Association's Oakland Oaks, jumping leagues for financial reasons and establishing himself as one of the most controversial players of his era — respected for his talent, criticized for his combativeness and willingness to prioritize personal gain over team loyalty. His ABA years, which included stints with the Washington Capitals, New York Nets, and Virginia Squires, kept him from the NBA from 1967 to 1972. When he returned to Golden State in 1972, something different happened. The Warriors, led by coach Al Attles, had assembled a team of outstanding role players around Barry's shooting and passing: Jamaal Wilkes, Phil Smith, Clifford Ray, and the undersized but ferocious Ricky Sobers. In 1974-75, the Warriors went 48-34 in the regular season — not the most dominant record — and then proceeded to sweep the Washington Bullets 4-0 in one of the most shocking upsets in Finals history. Barry was Finals MVP, averaging 29.5 points per game in the sweep. His performance — combining elite outside shooting, playmaking, and the relentless will that had always defined him — was the signature achievement of his career and remains one of the most complete Finals performances by a small forward in NBA history. His retired number 24 in the Warriors' rafters acknowledges the full arc of his contribution: the league's most prolific scorer of his generation, the Finals MVP who delivered the franchise its first modern championship, and a player whose underhanded free throw and combative personality became as defining as his actual basketball excellence.