Harrison Barnes is a professional basketball player who entered the National Basketball Association as the seventh overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. The 2010 Iowa Mr. Basketball was selected by the Golden State Warriors, with whom he won the 2015 NBA Championship, before moving to join the Dallas Mavericks.
Harrison Barnes Biography (Age)
Harrison Barnes was born Harrison Bryce Jordan Barnes to Shirley Barnes and Ronnie Harris on May 30, 1992, in Ames, Iowa. He was, however, raised by just his mother after his father left him and his younger sister with her to go and care for Barnes’ ailing grandparents but never returned.
Barnes attended Ames High School where he played high school basketball. He and future NBA player, Doug McDermott, led the school to two Iowa 4A State Championships in their junior and senior years without losing a single game. He finished his high school basketball career as the all-time leading scorer for his school with 1,787 points.
With his basketball ability evident for everybody to see, Harrison Barnes was not short on scholarship offers from colleges all across the country, including the University of California, Los Angeles, Duke University, and Kansas, who all had reputable basketball programs. After visiting almost all the schools, Barnes opted to attend the University of North Carolina (UNC) to play for the legendary Tar Heels.
In his freshman year, Barnes built a reputation for being a clutch player as he repeatedly came up with shots in the final seconds of games to get his team the victory. He went on to set the record for points in an ACC tournament game by a freshman when he scored 40 points on March 12, 2011, in a game against Clemson. Following speculation of him forgoing his remaining college years, Barnes returned to play one more year of college basketball where he continued to win plaudits. After his sophomore year, he made himself eligible for the draft.
Harrison Barnes was named to the All-Rookie first team in his rookie season. He continued to put in the performance that set him apart from his peers all through his career as he fought off challenges from players like Andre Iguodala to become a starter in his third season and help his team win an NBA Championship.
The next season, Barnes and the Warriors blew the whole NBA away as they set the record for most wins by a team in an 82-game season with a 73-9 record. The warriors were by far the favorites to retain the championship but were however upset by the Cleveland Cavaliers who came back from a 3-1 deficit to win the series. Barnes went on to sign for the Dallas Mavericks where he hopes to achieve more success.
Salary
In 2016, Harrison Barnes signed a four-year $94 million contract with the Dallas Mavericks which puts his salary per annum at around $23 million.
Harrison Barnes Wife (Brittany)
Harrison Barnes is married to Brittany Barnes (nee Johnson) whom he reportedly met during his time playing for the Golden State Warriors. The couple got engaged in August 2016 while on vacation in Costa Rica before tying the knot at a star-studded Oceanside ceremony in July 2017 in Newport, Rhode Island.
Mrs. Barnes was raised in San Francisco. She has a B.S in English and Literature from Spellman College and another bachelor’s degree in Global Studies and African-American Studies from the University of North Carolina.
Height
Harrison Barnes is 6 feet 8 inches (2.03m) tall which puts him just one inch above the average height in the NBA. However, when Barnes is not on the court competing, he will probably be the tallest man in the room wherever he goes with the average height of an American male being 5 feet 9.3 inches (1.79m).
Other Facts
Harrison Barnes was the highest-rated high school basketballer in 2010. His accolades in high school include Iowa Mr. Basketball, Morgan Wooten Player of the Year Award, a McDonald’s All-American, and a Jordan Brand High School All-American team selection.
In College, he was named 2011 ACC Rookie of the Year and was also selected to the Second Team All-ACC and All-ACC Freshman Team of that year. He also set the record for most points by a UNC freshman in the NCAA tournament with 84 points.
In 2012, he was named to the First Team All-ACC and the Second Team All-American.
In addition to being an NBA Championship winner, he has also won Olympic Gold for representing the United States at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
