The NBA Finals date back to 1947 (when they were known as the Basketball Association of America Finals) and the very 1st NCAA tourney was held in 1939. Olympic basketball competition is even older: it debuted as a demonstration event in 1904 and the men’s version became a medal sport in 1936, with the women finally getting their chance to go for the gold in 1976. The United States has dominated Olympic basketball competition from the start: the men have won 15 gold medals in the 18 tournaments they have participated in during the past 84 years, while the women have won 8 gold medals in the 10 tournaments in which they have competed during the past 44 years. Those of you who were looking forward to the 2020 Olympics opening ceremonies in Tokyo on July 24, 2020 will have to wait an extra 364 days, as the coronavirus caused a postponement until July 23, 2021. Due to the absence of college basketball since mid-March, HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel decided to fill the void by trying to interview as many prior Olympic players/coaches as possible so that you have something to read this summer while not watching the Summer Games. We continue our coverage by chatting with Gwen (wife) and Shaynah (daughter) about Jim Barnes winning a gold medal and being drafted 1st overall in 1964. Today marks the 18th anniversary of Jim’s passing so we are proud to celebrate his memory.
Jim was nicknamed “Bad News”: who gave him the nickname, and how did he like it? Gwen: When I 1st met him he said that his name was Bad News. I asked him how he got the name and he said that during his college career there were a few times when the opposing coach would ask whether Texas Western was bringing him to the game. If the answer was yes then the coach would say “Oh no: that is bad news for us!” He was proud of the nickname but was not boastful. Even though he was called “Bad News” it was a play on words: it was good for him because it showed that his opponents feared him.
He was born/raised in Arkansas where he allegedly picked cotton as a child, played basketball in socks because his family was too poor to afford sneakers, and had a maternal grandfather who was 7’ tall: what kind of impact did his upbringing/genetics have on his success? Shaynah: That is news to me and all sounds incorrect: he was not that hard up. He always made sure to say he was from Tuckerman, AR, rather than Little Rock or another bigger city. He was always out at the court taking shots all day/night long. My dad was the tallest person in his immediate family but the other side of his family has a lot of very tall women. G: Even when we were dating I would sit on the bench and watch him practice by himself. He was very proud of the small town he came from. 1 day he stayed home from school because he was tired and was just sitting on his front porch when he saw the famous Clydesdale horses pull up in front of his home. He was so excited to tell someone about it that he ran all over the entire town…but nobody else was around because they were all out of town at their own jobs! I remember when he introduced me to his family in Arkansas: I was the shortest 1 in the bunch.
He began his college career as an NJCAA All-American who scored 30 PPG at Cameron JC in Lawton, OK: what made him decide to transfer to Texas Western? S: That is when Coach Don Haskins came into the picture after being made aware of this green kid who could be molded into something more. There was some story about Haskins buying my dad a steak if he agreed to come to Texas Western!
He played for Haskins/with Nolan Richardson in El Paso: how did he enjoy being around these 2 future Hall of Famers? S: I never really saw him play but he was always an intense player and picked up some things from both of those men that he admired and helped develop his own game. He would play tennis all by himself and would just hit balls over the net, switch sides, and then hit them back. He never had any problems with his teammates. G: Whenever he started something he always put forth a full effort to master it. He loved backgammon and taught both of us to play. He learned by seeing/doing and was very teachable/coachable.
He played for team USA at the 1964 Olympics: what did it mean to him to represent his country, and what did it mean to him to win a gold medal? S: They were a real team and leaned on each other. When he was asked to carry the torch before the 1996 Olympics it meant the world to him. They wanted him to run it through another town but he made sure to run it all the way through Tuckerman: it was crazy! They were just kids in 1964 and probably did not fully understand it back then but it came full-circle. He was proud of showing some of my friends his rings/medals because he wanted them to understand the he had been a kid just like them and if they worked hard then they could succeed as well. G: I held his gold medal once and it was very heavy.
In the spring of 1964 he was drafted 1st overall by the Knicks (7 spots ahead of Willis Reed): did he see that as a validation of his college career, or the realization of a lifelong dream of reaching the NBA, or other? S: I think it was a mixture of both but more from column B. As he got better and better he realized that he might be good enough to play pro basketball: when you are picked #1 it shows that a team believes in you. It showed that he made it from the dark nights on the playground to the top of the sport. He was a nonchalant/low-key guy: basketball was just something that he was gifted enough to do. G: Kids today aspire to be drafted and say that they have always dreamed about getting there.
He averaged 15.5 PPG/9.7 RPG in 1965 and was named to the NBA All-Rookie team: how was he able to come in and contribute right from the start? S: Work ethic. It was a different time so he just came in and played ball without all of the glitz/glamour. He used his solo skills as part of a team. G: It was not as much of a big-money sport back then: he was just dedicated to basketball and stuck with it. He was a team player and wanted to get the job done well.
Even though he did not play in the 1969 NBA Finals he won a ring as Boston become the 1st team to ever come back from a 2-0 series deficit in the NBA Finals: what did it mean to him to get a ring? G: It may have been a bigger deal to me when I saw the ring! You have hopes/dreams of reaching the next step and then the next step after that. I am sure that there were mixed emotions because he had worked so hard to earn it. Mostly he felt good inside. S: I am sure that he was happy for himself/his teammates/the franchise.
After retiring he became an entrepreneur who organized an annual celebrity tennis tournament and launched “Bad News Barbecue Sauce” which sold more than 3 million cases: how was he able to follow his on-court success by becoming so successful off the court? S: That is what a lot of athletes do. My dad worked out that recipe on his own. G: I remember that before 1 of our trips down to Arkansas he was talking about this sauce that he was crazy about. He brought it home and tried to manufacture it. We talked about what we wanted to do and he thought about getting them into local supermarkets like Safeway/Giant. He cooked it in our small apartment in Washington, DC, I would put it in mason jars, and then we would go out every weekend in DC/Virginia to try to get it into stores. He did pretty well considering he did not have an army of salespeople behind him.
He passed away in 2002 and was posthumously inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2014: when people look back on his career, how do you think that he should be remembered the most? G: I have heard a few things about his temper but he was an excellent player who was part of a team. He was not showy and played to win the game fairly. S: He had the business and a great family but would want to be remembered mostly as a great player.