Richard “Dick” Barnett

Richard “Dick” Barnett is a graduate of Theodore Roosevelt High School and Tennessee State University. He is a retired professional basketball player who spent 14 seasons in the NBA, perhaps most famously as a member of both the 1970 and 1973 NBA Championship Teams for the New York Knicks. As a three-time All-American player, Barnett led his team to three consecutive NAIA national championships (1957-1959) and twice was named championship MVP (1958, 1959). The Syracuse Nationals (1959-1961), now the Philadelphia 76ers, selected Barnett in the 1st round (4th overall) in the 1959 NBA Draft. After his time with the Nationals (1959-1961) he left the NBA for the ABL and the Cleveland Pipers (1961-1962), leading the squad to the ABL Championship (1962) before returning to the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers (1962-1965). His greatest success on the floor came with the Knicks (1965-1973), where he scored a career high number of points (1,729) his first season on the team and made his lone All-Star Game appearance (1968). Barnett ended his career with 15,358 points, 2,812 rebounds, and 2,729 assists.