“Playing With Kobe Bryant? I Wouldn’t Change That for Money or Rings”: Matt Barnes Chose The Mamba Over Teaming up With LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh

One has got to choose either money or rings while switching franchises, Matt Barnes chose to play with Kobe Bryant over both

There are some privileges of being a role player in team sports, nobody gets angry at you for joining other superstars or even rival teams for that matter.

Matt Barnes was one of the role players, who, since the start of his 14-year NBA career, spent two or more seasons at one franchise just twice.

One of those franchises was the then defending NBA champs, the Kobe Bryant-led Los Angeles Lakers, whom he joined in 2010 after their three-peat.

Also read: “Motherf**ker, I’ll Slap the S**t Out of You in Front of Your Wife”: Matt Barnes Recalls Ugly Altercation with Suns Owner Robert Sarver

And guess who the former UCLA 6’7 forward snubbed to team up with The Mamba? The Big-3 of the Miami Heat.

When Matt Barnes chose to play with Kobe Bryant over LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh

After LeBron James and Chris Bosh decided to join Dwyane Wade in Miami, there were still some pieces that had to be added to surround them with good 3-points shooters and wing defenders.

And apparently, the Heat were interested in then Orlando Magic forward Barnes who instead chose to join the 5x NBA champ over LeBron and D-Wade, but it had nothing to do with rings.

The 2017 NBA champ with the Warriors talked about it in his appearance on NFL legend Shannon Sharpe’s podcast, Club Shay Shay, saying he wouldn’t change a thing, neither the money he lost nor the rings he missed out on by joining his favourite franchise and Kobe.

— shannon sharpe (@ShannonSharpe) October 13, 2022

Barnes did win his ring finally with the Warriors

Despite being a comparatively low-paid role player throughout his career Barnes didn’t think twice when got the call from Kobe and joined the Lakers immediately.

Although the Lakers would not win a ring after that, Matt is content and happy with the decision he made then, even if it meant losing out on two championships and some more money.

However, when he was reaching the tail end of his 16-year professional basketball career, he got the chance to sign with the Golden State Warriors who were looking for a Kevin Durant replacement for the remaining 25 games of the 2016-17 regular season.

Ironically, Barnes would get the chance to be in Finals against LeBron James and Co. and see his Cavaliers fail to do a double on the Warriors while winning his first-ever ring. That is life coming full circle.

Also read: “Why Shouldn’t I Look Michael Jordan in the Eye?!”: Kobe Bryant Once Unheard Veteran Advice Because He Refused to Back Down From the Goat

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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