Former NBA forward Matt Barnes said Kobe Bryant was the only teammate who ever helped cover the cost of the fines he accumulated over his career. Speaking on the Out The Mud podcast, Barnes said he likely lost more than half a million dollars in penalties, most of them after he stepped into altercations to defend teammates.
Barnes, who played 14 NBA seasons and suited up for the Lakers, Warriors, Clippers, Kings, Suns and Magic, said his instincts came from childhood. “When I was a kid, if my brother or sister were fighting someone and I did not jump in, I would be the one getting punished at home,” he said. “To me, teammates are family.”
He said he always stood up for the stars he played with, but almost none of them paid the financial price. “I defended every star I played with, and only one person paid my fines when I got in trouble because of him, Kobe,” Barnes said. He added that other teammates would sometimes thank him after he was hit with fines of $30,000, $40,000, or $50,000, even though, as he put it, they were earning $30 million a season.
Barnes said his comments reflect the unusual bond he had with Bryant during their time together with the Los Angeles Lakers. He also said he never saw himself as a bully or enforcer, only as someone who could not stay silent when a teammate was being targeted.
