Former Golden State Warriors championship-winning small forward Matt Barnes isn’t playing political favorites when it comes to platforming presidential candidates.
Barnes hosted sitting Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for the gig, earlier this week for his “All The Smoke” podcast, which he co-hosts with fellow “We Believe Warriors”-era colleague Stephen Jackson.
When asked by NBA insider Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson on his “Scoop B Radio” program about whether or not he would chat with Harris’ opponent, Donald Trump, the 6-foot-7 swingman offered up a surprising answer.
“We don’t have any no-no’s to be honest with you,” Barnes told Robinson. “I would definitely interview Donald Trump. Just because I want to ask him some real questions. That’s it.”
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Barnes reflected on the hotly contested presidential race. The election is slated for Nov. 5, but several states, including Barnes’ native California, are already allowing their residents to vote by mail.
“Obviously it’s a mess right now whether it’s going to Kamala [Harris] or Trump but I think what people need to know and understand is your local vote is where you’re gonna see a turnaround, you know?” Barnes said, emphasizing the import of local races. “The potholes, the local schools… a lot of different things in your community you directly have control over if you get out and vote. So really educating themselves on local policy and hopefully that will encourage them to continue to educate themselves for the bigger stuff.”
Barnes, a Santa Clara native, was selected with the No. 46 pick in the 2002 NBA Draft. Across a 14-year career, he suited up for the L.A. Clippers, Sacramento Kings, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Warriors, Phoenix Suns, Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, and Memphis Grizzlies.
Though rarely a starter, Barnes was one of the league’s top perimeter defenders in his prime, a persistent presence on the wing who proved to be a major asset to several deep playoff clubs. He finished 17th in Defensive Player of the Year voting while with the Conference Finals-bound Magic in 2009-10.
During his final season, 2016-17, Barnes returned to Golden State late as a veteran bench presence. That club, led by four future Hall of Famers in their absolute primes (Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green), posted a 67-15 record and ran roughshod through the 2017 playoffs, going an insane 16-1. Barnes retired that summer.
Across 929 career regular season games (359 starts), Barnes posted averages of 8.2 points on .436/.335/.745 shooting splits, 4.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.8 blocks and 0.5 steals.
Trump, who has been convicted on 34 criminal felony counts, has been found liable of sexual assault in a civil case and remains under investigation by the Department of Justice for fraud in relation to the 2020 election, is running as the Republican party’s presidential nominee for the third straight cycle.
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