Jim Barnett (basketball)


James Franklin Barnett is a former professional basketball player. He was the Golden State Warriors television analyst from 1985 to 2019, and is currently the team's radio color analyst on 95.7 The Game.

Basketball career

Youth and college career

Barnett was born in Greenville, South Carolina and raised in Riverside, California. He is a member of the Riverside Hall of Fame, and was selected as an NCAA All-American as a University of Oregon basketball player.
He is in the University of Oregon Hall of Fame and the State of Oregon Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Pac-12 Basketball Hall of Honor during the 2012 Pac-12 Conference Men's Basketball Tournament on March 10, 2012.

Pro career

Barnett's NBA career began when the Boston Celtics selected him with the eighth pick overall in the 1966 NBA draft. He later played for the Warriors for three seasons and five other teams during his 11-year career, including the San Diego Rockets, the Portland Trail Blazers, the New Orleans Jazz, New York Knicks, and the Philadelphia 76ers.
While playing for the Trail Blazers in 1971, Barnett attempted a rushed long-range shot against the rival Los Angeles Lakers. His shot went in, prompting Blazers play-by-play announcer Bill Schonely to exclaim "Rip City! All right!" The phrase "Rip City", the meaning for which Schonely has no explanation, nonetheless caught on and became synonymous with the team and the city of Portland.
Barnett played alongside many of the league's Hall of Famers, including Warriors stars Rick Barry and Nate Thurmond, as well as Bill Russell, John Havlicek, Walt Frazier, Earl Monroe, Pete Maravich and Julius Erving. Nicknamed "Crazy Horse", Barnett averaged 11.7 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 732 games.

Broadcasting

Barnett currently works for NBC Sports Bay Area and was the Warriors' television analyst from the 1985–1986 NBA season, working alongside play-by-play announcer Bob Fitzgerald until the 2018—2019 NBA season. During the playoffs, or when games were nationally televised, he moved over to radio and worked alongside Tim Roye on KGMZ-FM's 95.7 The Game.
Beginning in the 2019—2020 NBA season, he will be the Warriors' full-time color analyst on 95.7 The Game, and is replaced by fellow former player Kelenna Azubuike as the color commentator on NBC Sports Bay Area. Barnett is expected to join Fitzgerald for the first Warriors home game telecast from the Chase Center in San Francisco, and will travel with the team for road games.

Speaking engagements

Active in the community, Barnett does speaking engagements throughout the greater Bay Area during the year, including guest appearances at Warriors Basketball Camp sessions.

Personal life

Barnett married his wife Sandy in 1966. Divorced in 1998. They have one daughter named Jennifer, along with one granddaughter, Stella.