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Matt Barnes reveals he gave up the chance to win two rings in Miami with LeBron James and Dwayne Wade to play with Kobe Bryant in LA… as he admits he ‘wouldn’t change it for money or championships’
Former NBA player Matt Barnes revealed to Shannon Sharpe that he rejected the chance to play with the Miami Heat during the era of Lebron James.
Barnes told Sharpe during an episode of ‘Club Shay Shay’ that he had the opportunity to play with Miami but wouldn’t have given up the chance to play with Kobe Bryant in LA.
‘I was literally talking to Pat Riley and D Wade and they’re talking about we’re about to build something over here. There’s words of him [James] coming and there’s words of Bosh coming,’ Barnes said. ‘It’s right up the free way for me and I’m literally having conversations with Pat Riley.’
Matt Barnes revealed to Shannon Sharpe that he rejected the chance to play with Miami Heat
Barnes had just completed a season with the Orlando Magic in which he averaged 8.8 points and 4.2 rebounds.
‘One day I get a phone call. I’m still out in Orlando chilling, and I get a call from a number I don’t know,’ Barnes continued. ‘And I never pick up my phone. And I just happened to pick up the phone and it’s him [Bryant]. ‘
‘He’s like it’s Kob… We start going back and forth, and he ask me what I’m doing. And I literally tell him I’m kind of back and forth, I’m talking to Miami right now. He’s like “nah f*** Miami, you want to be a Laker.” And I’m like hell yeah, and like four days later I was a Laker.
Barnes reveals he gave up the chance to win two rings in Miami with LeBron James (center)
Sharpe then asked Barnes if he thought No 8 Bryant or No 24 Bryant was a better player. Barnes played against Bryant when he wore the former and with him when he wore the latter.
‘I would pick 24. Just because off the court he was more often as a person,’ Barnes said.
Barnes then opens on on how he took less money and missed out on two NBA finals rings in Miami, admitting he would not trade that up for the chance to ‘become brothers’ with Bryant.
‘I wouldn’t give that up for the opportunity to play with Kob. I wouldn’t change it for money or rings,’ he said.
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