Feature
HOLDING
COURT WITH NBA HALL‐OF‐FAMER RICK BARRY One of basketball ’ s all-time greats now gets his competitive fix on the pickleball court .
By Chuck Menke
USA PICKLEBALL CMO
From basketball to pickleball , competition is life for Rick Barry . The National Basketball
Association ( NBA ) Hall-of-Famer is considered among the best all-around players in hoops history and was named to the NBA ’ s 75th Anniversary Team last year . Barry is the American Basketball Association ’ s all-time scoring leader , averaged the most points in NBA Finals history ( 36.3 ) and is the only player to have won championships in both leagues . But Barry may be most well-known for his unconventional — and highly successful — underhand free throw technique . And his fiery disposition . Barry ’ s willingness to do anything within the rules to win remains a theme even in retirement . He ’ s taken his unrelenting competitive drive to the pickleball courts , where he ’ s a three-time USA Pickleball national champion , including a doubles win with Mark “ Yoda ” Friedenberg in the Men ’ s 75 + 4.5 skill level at the 2022 Margaritaville USA Pickleball National Championships in November .
In the lead-up to Nationals , I sat down with the 78-year-old Barry in Colorado Springs .
USA Pickleball : Let ’ s talk about your pickleball story . How did you find pickleball and how did your passion for the sport come about ?
Rick Barry : The hardest thing for me about retirement was having to give up competition . I just love to compete in anything I do . Even board games at the Barry household are a competition . So , when I gave it up , I tried to find something else to do . ( Barry started his post-NBA competitive career with golf , where he won four World Long Drive Championships .) My wife said I should try pickleball . And so , I said , “ What ’ s that ? Let ’ s try it .” I tried it and
Basketball great Rick Barry has found a new competitive home on the pickleball court . Photo by Steve Taylor .
thought , “ This is great . I ’ m going to try to be good at this .” And then I heard that there ’ s a US Open and the USA Pickleball National Championships .
Barry has won three USA Pickleball National Championships — in men ’ s doubles in 2022 and 2021 and mixed doubles in 2021 .