Asked whether he got the respect on the court he felt he deserved, Barnes says peer respect is what he values most, then criticizes the hot-take culture of sports media that he thinks former athletes in TV shouldn't join.
…I kind of become a household name overnight. And then the very beginning of the next season where I'm supposed to really have that next breakout season, my mom dies. And it kind of is a wash of a whole entire year. But the fact that they were all there to support me definitely made it easier.
Do you think you got the respect on the court that you deserve? Because your teammates obviously like that. Yeah, I think that's
what I hang my hat on because people say what they want. I played on a handful of teams, but I always either started or was the first sixth or seven guy off the bench. You know what I mean? Like, excuse me, the first or second guy off the bench. I was sixth or seventh man. So I think although I didn't get the all-defensive teams that I felt like a handful of times, I was one of the best defenders in the league. Or, you know, whether I got the money, you know, with the numbers I put up and the way what I brought to a team, I feel like, you know, I was short changed at time. But I think what I really hang my hat on is just the respect of my peers. I think that's what everyone at the end of the day hangs their hat on. And I still, I value that more than anything now. You know what I mean? Because I feel like we've all done it, but in our profession, now that there's so many athletes in TV, they're taking the bait and they're doing the hot take bullshit. And now you can't even call your homie. You know what I mean? Like I value the fact that I can call anybody I played with at any time and they answer the phone. You know what I mean? And I think that says a lot, obviously, about who I am, but just the way I moved. You know what I…
I don't know how I got here. Yeah. But I know it started somewhere.
I had a point at one point.
Quickly, does the league now, because I'm good friends with Eudonis Haslam, the enforcer, of course. That's my dog. UD. Do the league need that? It seems like dudes like you are gone, though.