Matt Barnes is a pretty polarizing figure in the NBA. He plays for the Los Angeles Clippers, which is one of the most entertaining and, at times, most unlikable teams in the league. He is known as a "3 and D" guy for his ability to guard opposing teams' best players on defense and stretch the floor on offense, but he likes to think that he has other qualities that cannot be described in three words.
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Barnes has also earned a reputation as a bit of a bad boy over the years (some would even call him a dirty player) because of his in-your-face style of defense and the fact that he is not afraid to mix it up with anyone on the court. Barnes recently opened up about his experiences in the NBA to Sports Illustrated, and he had some pretty good stories that had nothing to do with basketball.
As a second round pick, nothing was ever handed to Barnes, not even roster spots. And although he made decent money off of his contract, he had no long-term security. So early in his career, he used to rely on then-teammate Allen Iverson to help him out, although Iverson did not know it.
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"Allen was the first guy that showed me how NBA players spend money in strip clubs," Barnes says. "That guy went. HARD. He'd throw so much money, and this was when I was first in the league, that I used to take my foot and scoop the s--- under my chair and either re-throw it or put some in my pocket. He'd throw $30,000, $40,000 every time we went. I'm like, 'You realize what I can do with this money?'"
That's how you take a lesson from a superstar.
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