Hall of Famer Richard Barnett, key figure in Knicks' two NBA titles, dies at 89

Hall of Famer Richard "Dick" Barnett, who participated in both New York Knicks' winning streaks in NBA history, has died at the age of 89.

There is no doubt that the former shooting guard, whose career lasted from 1959 to 1973, is a giant of the best competition in the world.

Barnett participated in a historic high school game playing for the "Theodore Roosevelt" school in his native Gary (Indiana) against the "Crispus Attax" school, named in honor of the African-American who died in 1770 in the Boston Massacre during the American Revolution.

The legendary Oscar Robertson played for the opposing team, and that game went down in the annals of basketball as the first final match in which African-Americans played predominantly in both teams.

Barnett spent his college career at Tennessee, and was graced with speed and the phrase "you're late - fall, baby" after every left-handed hit. It will be remembered that he threw his legs back when shooting.

He entered the NBA as the fourth pick in the draft, and was chosen by the Syracuse Nationals. He spent two seasons there, then one in the Cleveland Pipers.

In 1962, after winning the ABL championship, he joined the Los Angeles Lakers, for whom he played until 1965 when he moved to the New York Knicks, where he spent the zenith of his career.

The titles in 1970 and 1973 are the only ones in the history of that franchise, and Barnet could boast of having contributed to both. After the second one, he "hung his sneakers on a peg".

All-Star game

Barnet also participated in the All-Star game in 1968 and there is no doubt that he is one of the most striking personalities in the history of the franchise from the "Big Apple". In his career, he scored 15,358 points (15.8 average), grabbed 2,812 rebounds (2.9) and handed out 2,729 assists (2.8).

The Knicks retired Barnet's jersey number (12), and he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in Springfield last year.