Rick Barry

Richard Francis Dennis Barry III is a retired American professional basketball player who played in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a one time NBA Champion, 1975 NBA Finals MVP, 1969 ABA Champion, 8-Time NBA All-Star, 1967 NBA All-Star MVP, 5-Time All-NBA First Team, 4-Time ABA All-Star, 4-Time All-ABA First Team and NBA Scoring Champion in 1967. Barry played his college basketball for the University of Miami for three seasons. In his senior year, he led the NCAA with a 37.4 points per game.

Barry was drafted as the second overall pick in the 1965 NBA Draft by the San Francisco Warriors. In his rookie season, he averaged 25.7 points and 10.6 rebounds per game and was named Rookie of the Year. In the following season, Barry along with center Nate Thurmond helped the Warriors reach the 1967 NBA Finals. Even after averaging 40.8 points in the series, including a 55-point outburst in Game 3, the Warriors lost to Wilt Chamberlain’s Philadelphia 76ers in six games.

Following the 1966–67 season, Barry signed with the Oakland Oaks and became one of the first NBA players to jump to the American Basketball Association (ABA). In the 1968–69 season, he averaged 34 points per game and led the Oaks to the 1969 ABA Championship where they won against the Indiana Pacers in five games.

The next season, Barry played with the ABA's Washington Caps which later became the Virginia Squires after the 1969–70 season. In 1970, the Squires traded Barry to the New York Nets. As a member of the Nets, he led the league in scoring for two consecutive seasons with 29.4 points and 31.5 points per game in the 1970-71 and 1971-72 seasons respectively. He helped the Nets reach the 1972 ABA Finals, where they lost to the Pacers in six games.

In 1972, the Nets released Barry and he returned to the Warriors. With cumulative knee injuries taking their toll on him, Barry became more of a perimeter shooter and ball distributor. Two seasons later, he averaged 30.6 points per game and led the Warriors to the 1975 NBA title, sweeping the Washington Bullets. He was named 1975 NBA Finals MVP for his effort. In the 1978-79 season, Barry was signed by the Rockets as a free agent where he ended his career in 1980. Barry is the only player in history to lead the NCAA, ABA, and NBA for an individual season. Barry was voted as one of the 50 Greatest Players in history by the NBA in 1996 and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987.