Dick Barnett Dies at Age 88, Hall of Famer Won 2 NBA Titles With Knicks

The New York Knicks announced Sunday that team legend and Hall of Famer, Dr. Richard Barnett, has died. He was 88.

Barnett was a three-time All-America selection at Tennessee State before being drafted in the first round of the 1959 NBA Draft by the Syracuse Nationals (who later became the Philadelphia 76ers). After two seasons with the Nationals, he left the team to join the ABL's Cleveland Pipers. One year later he returned to the NBA and played for the Los Angeles Lakers for three seasons before being traded to the Knicks ahead of the 1965-66 season.

It was in New York where he had the most success, winning a pair of NBA titles with the team.

"Dick was one of the leaders of that team," his teammate and legendary head coach Phil Jackson once said. "I really thought he held a big piece of our success in the late '60s and early '70s."

"He's one of the architects who built the legacy of what the Knicks were about," Hall of Famer Earl Monroe added. "No one can ever forget that."

In his NBA career he averaged 15.8 points and 2.8 assists per game. He was an All-Star in 1967-68 season after putting up 18 points and three assists per contest. His 23.1 points per game in the 1965-67 season was a career high.

After his playing career he spent three seasons as an assistant coach in New York, wrote 20 books and created the Dr. Richard Barnett Center for Sports Education, Business and Technology foundation to provide scholarships and assistance for sports management majors. He received his doctorate in education and communications from Fordham University.

He was inducted in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in the Class of 2024.