Brent Barry

From Free net encyclopedia

Brent Robert Barry (born December 31, 1971 in Hempstead, New York) is an American professional basketball player (6 ft 6 in - 1.98 m), currently with the NBA's San Antonio Spurs. He is also known by his nickname, "Bones".

Barry is the son of Hall of Famer Rick Barry, and is arguably the best player of the four basketball-playing Barry sons, the others being (from oldest) Scooter, Jon, and Drew. Brent, the second youngest, has also played for the Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls, and Seattle SuperSonics.

Brent Barry played his high school basketball at athletic powerhouse, De La Salle High School in Concord, California before receiving a basketball scholarship to play at Oregon State University. Barry earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology while in college.

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Professional career

He was selected by the Denver Nuggets in the first round (15th pick) of the 1995 NBA Draft before being traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. He has also won the Slam Dunk Contest in the NBA All-Star Weekend in 1996 with a Michael Jordan-inspired slam dunk in which he took off from the free throw line to sail in and dunk one-handed.

In the summer of 2004, Barry was signed as a free agent by the San Antonio Spurs. After spending most of the season as a reserve, Barry was inserted into the starting lineup during the first round of the NBA playoffs; the Spurs' new lineup helped them come back from a 0-1 series deficit to beat the Nuggets in the series four games to one. Later in those same playoffs, Barry earned his first championship ring when the Spurs defeated the Detroit Pistons in the 2005 NBA Finals.

Brent and his father, Rick Barry, are only the second father-son duo to each win an NBA Championship as a player; the first was Matt Guokas, Sr. and his son Matt Guokas, Jr.

Brent Barry is generally considered a good passer, and has had three seasons where he averaged more than 5 assists per game. Barry is also a strong three-point shooter; he currently ranks 23rd all-time in career 3-point field goals made and has shot 40% from behind the arc for his career. These two strengths, combined with Barry's 6-7 frame, allow him to play a variety of positions, including point guard, shooting guard, and small forward; because he is taller than most point guards, he is often considered a point forward when he is running the offense.

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