Former UCLA and NBA ahead Matt Barnes was reportedly dropped as a Sacramento Kings studio analyst by NBC Sports activities California almost three weeks after he yelled at officers and confronted a scholar broadcaster from Studio Metropolis’s Harvard-Westlake Faculty throughout a highschool basketball recreation at Encino Crespi.
Barnes, 43, grew to become irate after an official known as a technical foul on one in all his twins sons, who play for Crespi. Video posted to social media reveals Barnes placing his proper hand on the shoulder of Harvard-Westlake scholar Jake Lancer, who was broadcasting the sport. Barnes and Lancer exchanged phrases earlier than adults intervened.
The Sacramento Bee reported that Barnes now not will function a Kings analyst, a job he’d held for 3 years. Barnes performed 14 seasons within the NBA, together with two with the Lakers, 4 with the Clippers and almost two with the Kings. He performed at UCLA from 1998-2002.
Barnes addressed the confrontation throughout an look Feb. 13 on “The Dan Le Batard Present with Stugotz.”
“I used to be yelling on the refs, Dan,” he instructed Le Batard. “I’ve yelled on the refs my whole school profession, my 15-year NBA profession. I coach AAU within the summertime, I’ve highschool boys, and I’ve a 5-year-old coming down the pipeline, so I’m going to be doing a whole lot of yelling on the refs.
“This specific incident — I’ll say my one mistake was placing my hand on [Lancer’s] shoulder. Lots of people need to say I grabbed this child or I did this — I actually put my hand on this child’s shoulder as a result of it was nearly like I used to be speaking to my son. . . . So he and I had a bit forwards and backwards, and clearly . . . for touching him, I used to be unsuitable. However I simply didn’t just like the disrespect that got here with the entitlement the place they felt like they might say something to me.”
Lancer addressed the incident on social media, tweeting: “Final touch upon the scenario final evening: I need to make it very clear that I by no means instructed [Barnes] to ‘shut up’ or something near that, he got here as much as me. All I wished to do within the second was get again to asserting the championship recreation.”
Final touch upon the scenario final evening: I need to make it very clear that I by no means instructed him to “shut up” or something near that, he got here as much as me. All I wished to do within the second was get again to asserting the championship recreation.
— Jake Lancer (@jakelancer_) February 3, 2024
Harvard-Westlake backed Lancer in a tweet from the college account: “Harvard-Westlake is happy with Jake Lancer and the poise he confirmed on [Feb. 2] underneath uncommon circumstances. Jake’s calm demeanor {and professional} focus are unparalleled in highschool journalism and we’re honored he’s our lead commentator on HWTV.”
Barnes, who attended Del Campo Excessive close to Sacramento, was arrested on suspicion of home violence in 2010, though the alleged sufferer, Barnes’ fiancée, Gloria Govan, mentioned, “Any accusations of home violence are false. My fiancée, Matt Barnes, has by no means bodily abused me or my household.”
Govan is the mom of twins Carter and Isaiah Barnes, whose coach at Crespi is former Lakers guard Derek Fisher. In 2015 Barnes and Fisher had been concerned in a bodily altercation when Barnes confronted Fisher about his relationship with Govan, who was estranged from Barnes. Fisher and Barnes have since resolved their variations.
