Harrison Barnes

BIOGRAPHY

Harrison Barnes was born on May 30, 1992, in Ames, Iowa. He is a small forward in the NBA.

From small town Ames, Iowa, Harrison, an Advanced Placement Scholar (AP), is considered to be one of the most celebrated student-athletes in Little Cyclone history and was ranked as the nation’s top player in the class of 2010 by ESPNU 100 and Scout.com. In his senior year Harrison, the 2009 Sporting News High School Athlete of the Year, averaged 26 points, 10 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 assists, leading Ames High School to a 27-0 season and a second consecutive state championship.

Harrison finished his career at Ames High as their all-time leading scorer with 1,787 points, all time leader in rebounds, blocks and steals. Harrison was selected to play in the 2010 McDonald’s All-American Game and the 2010 Jordan Brand Classic game, receiving Co-MVP honors in both performances. In 2010 he was named Iowa Mr. Basketball, Mr. Basketball USA, All-USA Basketball Player of the Year by USA Today, and was the recipient of the Morgan Wootten Player of the Year Award as well as multiple All-American team selections.

On January 20, 2010, it was announced that Barnes was selected to the 2010 Junior National Select Team. The team played at the 2010 Nike Hoop Summit at the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon, on April 10. He was also selected to play in the 2010 McDonald's All-American Game where he led the West team to a 107–104 victory. He scored a team high 18 points and was named co-MVP with Jared Sullinger. He also played in the 2010 Jordan Brand Classic where he was named co-MVP with Kyrie Irving. On March 10, 2010, Barnes won the Morgan Wootten Player of the Year Award, which goes to the nation's top player. Barnes completed nine advanced placement credits before graduating high school.

In just two years at UNC, Harrison started in 73 games and averaged 16.4 points and 5.5 rebounds while leading the Tar Heels to two consecutive NCAA Tournament Elite Eight appearances. Harrison is one of UNC’s most decorated players earning 2010, 2011 Preseason All-American, 2011 Second Team All-ACC, 2011 All-ACC Freshman Team, 2011 ACC Rookie of the Year, 2012 Second Team All-American and 2012 First Team All-ACC honors.

In March 2011, Harrison set the record for most points scored by a freshman in an ACC Tournament with his 40-point performance against Clemson. The Tar Heels then went on to play in the 2011 NCAA Tournament where Harrison scored 84 points, the most points of any UNC freshman in history.

On March 29, 2012, Barnes announced that he was entering the 2012 NBA draft along with Tyler Zeller, Kendall Marshall, and John Henson. He worked out with four teams: Cleveland Cavaliers, Charlotte Bobcats, Washington Wizards, and Toronto Raptors. He was selected 7th overall by the Golden State Warriors.

Warriors coach Mark Jackson said that Harrison Barnes is able to defend all five positions on the floor. Harrison Barnes was a forward for the 2015 NBA Champions, Golden State Warriors. In the 2012 NBA Draft, he was selected seventh overall by the Warriors. Since his arrival to the Bay Area team he has been named 2012-13 NBA All-Rookie First Team, a starter in 2013 & 2014 BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge at All-Star Weekend and most recently an NBA Champion, all by the age of 23. Harrison played with the Warriors from 2012-2016.

With the arrival of Andre Iguodala, Barnes became a reserve player. Barnes again participated in BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge. He was chosen as a starter for Team Hill.

On July 9, 2016, Barnes signed a four-year, $94 million contract with the Dallas Mavericks. He made his debut for the Mavericks in their season opener on October 26, recording 19 points and nine rebounds in a 130–121 overtime loss to the Indiana Pacers.Two days later, he scored a career-high 31 points in a 106–98 loss to the Houston Rockets. He bested that mark on November 6, scoring 34 points in an 86–75 overtime win over the Milwaukee Bucks. Barnes scored 30 points or more seven times during the 2016–17 season, including five 31-point games. After never finishing better than fourth in scoring in his four seasons with the Golden State Warriors, Barnes led the Mavericks with a career-best 19.2 points per game.

In June 2016, Barnes was named in the United States national team for the 2016 Summer Olympics. He helped Team USA win the gold medal in Rio, and in eight games, he averaged 4.3 points and 2.1 rebounds per game.

On February 6, 2019, while in the middle of a game for Dallas against the Charlotte Hornets, Barnes was traded to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Zach Randolph and Justin Jackson. He made his debut for the Kings two days later, scoring 12 points in a 102–96 win over the Miami Heat.