Rick Barry

Rick Barry is considered by many veteran basketball observers to be one of the greatest pure small forwards of all time as a result of his very precise outside shot, uncanny court vision, knowledge and execution of team defense principles, tenacious and demanding will to win, and unorthodox, but accurate underhanded, "granny shot", free throw shooting. Barry is one of only a few elite players who altered their games without losing effectiveness; he broke into the professional ranks as a rebounder and all-purpose point’s machine before he morphed into a primary ball distributor and lethal perimeter threat. In a number of seasons during his career, Rick was the only forward to be in the top ten in assists.

Named one of the 50 Greatest Players in history by the NBA in 1996, Barry is the only player to lead the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), ABA and NBA in scoring for an individual season. In 1987, Barry was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Barry also ranks on the short list of greatest underdog players in basketball history, as his teams repeatedly overachieved despite marginal talent around him. Longtime NBA writer Paul Ladewski has referred to him as Ricky Balboa, a reference to Rocky Balboa, the prize fighter of motion picture fame who was at his best in the face of long odds. An example of this quality took place in 1975 when Rick led the Golden State Warriors, a team experts picked to miss the playoffs, to the NBA World Championship. Rick was selected the Championship Series MVP.