I'll Set The Record Straight On The Great Rick Barry, Just Because It Needs To Be Done

This is a man who is passionate about life.

(When I listen I hear pure awesomeness)

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Rick Barry has taken a lot of crap in his life from many places.

But he is having, I'll bet, the last laugh.

He has six kids, three of whom had NBA careers, two of which were real long. Scooter won an NCAA title with Danny and the Miracles. Brent was the first son in father/son history to win NBA titles. Jon was a hell of a player for someone who transferred schools after his freshman year. Drew was a baaad point guard at Georgia Tech (in the T shirt).

It's impossible to, from the outside, see whether the man is and was happy with his life. But I'll bet he is. He was one bad ass white boy on the court. Ask someone who knows.

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Rick Barry won an NBA title in 1975 with the Golden State Warriors, who have been shit since. He was one of the first players to sign an ABA contract. He brought passing to a new level in the game. He never missed an underhanded free throw in his entire fucking career. He had balls, he had brains, he had ego, he had style.

Bill Russell was wrong to publicly humiliate Rick for the "watermelon smile" comment Barry let out on the air. Russell acted small, and Bill Russell is not a small man.

Rick Barry was and is an athletic God. One of the greatest ever. I wish he was still playing.