By Floyd Barber

FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS

Richard Barnett (October 2, 1936 – April 27, 2025) was an American professional basketball player who was a shooting guard in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Syracuse Nationals, Los Angeles Lakers, and New York Knicks. He won two NBA championships with the Knicks. Barnett was also a member of the Cleveland Pipers in the American Basketball League. He played college basketball for the Tennessee A&I State Tigers. Barnett was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2024.

Barnett was born in Gary, Indiana, on October 2, 1936. He attended Theodore Roosevelt High School in a segregated society. His father was a steel worker, and his mother worked at a candy store.

Although he struggled as a student at school, he became one of the best basketball players in the state of Indiana. His senior year, he led his team to the state basketball championship, which was the first final where two predominantly African American basketball squads faced each other. The team lost to Crispus Attucks High School and their future NBA star Oscar Robertson. He received All-state honors.

Barnett attended Tennessee A&I State College (now Tennessee State University), a historically black school. He did not graduate from there, but later he earned his bachelor’s degree from Cal Poly Pomona. Years later, he earned an MBA from New York University and then a PhD in education from Fordham University.

Barnett accepted a basketball scholarship from Tennessee A&I State College (now Tennessee State University), to play under coach John McLendon. As a freshman, he was given the nickname “Dick the Skull”. He was known for his trademark “question mark” jump shot, with an unusual technique of kicking his legs back as he released the ball with his left hand, taunting the defenders by saying, “Too late; Fall back baby”.

He became a three-time Associated Press Little College All-American, helping the Tigers to a 36-game winning streak and three consecutive National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) national championships. He received back-to-back most valuable player honors in the 1958 and 1959 NAIA tournaments. Tennessee A&I became the first historically black college to win an integrated men’s basketball title.

Barnett graduated as the school’s All-time scorer with 3,209 points for a 23.6 average in 136 games, while also recording 1,571 career rebounds for an 11.6 average, a career shooting percentage of 44.8 and 80.0 from the free throw line.

In 1986, he was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame. In 1990, the school retired his No. 12 Jersey. In 1993, he was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame. In 2005, he was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame. In 2007, he was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, along with his coach John McLendon. In 2012, he was named to the NAIA 75th Anniversary All-Star Team. In 2016, he was inducted into the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame. In 2019, the 1957–59 Tennessee A&I Tigers men’s basketball team was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

In 1970, he helped the Knicks beat the Lakers for the NBA title. In 1973, he contributed to the team winning a second championship against the Lakers. He was released on October 23, 1973. He scored 15,358 regular season points in his career. In 1990, the Knicks retired his No. 12 jersey in the rafters of Madison Square Garden.