Matt Barnes
Matt Barnes lifted his practice jersey to show the tattoo he has of his mother, Ann, across his abdomen.
It’s actually something the Lakers forward refers to as “a mural” – her image, with wings of an angel attached. He had it put there two years ago.
“This keeps her around,” he said.
Four years ago this November,Barnes started a foundation and website called Athletes vs. Cancer (www.athletesvscancer.org). That coincided with the anniversary of the Nov. 27, 2007, passing of Ann Barnes just five days after Thanksgiving and 26 days after she was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer.
Mother’s Day doesn’t get any easier for the former UCLA star living in Redondo Beach. But knowing he’s done more to help others get checked early for cancer and perhaps prevent the kind of pain the 32-year-old oncewent through can make himfeel as if he’s doing something productive for hismom’s memory.
Barnes discussed this special day and his foundation after a recent Lakers practice:
QUESTION: What has Mother’s Day meant to you over the last couple of years?
ANSWER: You never want to say you take your mom for granted because you think she’ll always be there. That’s just the kind of sense you have. I think the day means more now. She was my best friend, someone who I could confide in, who had the answers. She was always everybody’s mom when I was growing up. The whole neighborhood it seemed relied on her as a mother figure. Mother’s Day now is a lot more special to me than maybe it used to be.
Category : Blog
With Kobe Bryant wearing a suit for the fourth straight game, no Laker played better basketball than Matt Barnes, who scored a season-high 24 points on 9 of 11 shooting (four of four three-pointers) to lead L.A. to a 103-97 win over Denver on Friday night.
Barnes had been solid in the three previous Bryant-less games, averaging 8.0 points on 45 percent shooting plus seven boards per game, and added 10 more boards for his second double-double of the season vs. the Nuggets. To Metta World Peace, the energy level of his fellow small forward is to what the rest of the team should be aspiring.
“Matt Barnes is on a whole other level right now,” World Peace exclaimed. “He’s very fired up. You see the red in his eyes. We all need to get on his level.”
To Barnes, it’s the only way to do it.
“When we play hard, we’re a tough team to beat,” he said. “We’re so talented, but sometimes we’re lazy. When we’re lazy, we allow teams to do stuff that shouldn’t normally happen.”
Category : Blog
Matt Barnes will make an appearance with adidas basketball this Saturday, April 14th at the new Champs in the Westfield Mall, Culver City from 3:30 to 4:30pm. Matt will meet & greet fans and sign autographs.
Westfield Culver City Mall
6000 Sepulveda Boulevard
Culver City, CA 90230
Category : Blog
Lakers.com’s Mike Trudell sat down with forward Matt Barnes following Super Bowl XLVI to talk about the team watching the game together and what positions each guy might play if they had chosen football over basketball.
Category : Blog
In a season full of adjusted practice schedules and roster shuffling, the Lakers provided one element of clarity during their 90-82 victory Sunday over the Memphis Grizzlies.
After seeing Matt Barnes play in what he called a “whale of a game” with 15 points on five-of-nine shooting, 10 rebounds and three blocks in 35 minutes, Lakers Coach Mike Brown granted Barnes the permanent starting spot at small forward.
“He’s my small forward for the foreseeable future,” Brown said. “He earned it, has held onto it and has played the right way for us at that position.”
Category : Blog
