Matt Barnes played professional basketball for 14 seasons in the NBA and was a world champion with the Golden State Warriors. Known as one of the most outspoken, explosive athletes of his generation, Barnes flourished on the court with his iconic trash-talking, “me-against-the-world” attitude. He has now taken that same mentality to his ventures off the court in both business and entertainment, which has elevated him to be one of the most powerful forces in sports media.

After studying history at UCLA, Matt was initially selected by the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA draft. Barnes later signed with the Los Angeles Clippers and the Sacramento Kings before getting traded to the Philadelphia 76ers. In 2006, Barnes signed with the Golden State Warriors, where he contributed to a season that is distinguished for the improbable upset of the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the 2007 NBA Playoffs. In the following years, Barnes signed with the Orlando Magic, LA Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, & the Sacramento Kings before returning to the Golden State Warriors, where he secured a championship ring in the 2016-17 season. Barnes was one of the more popular players on the teams he played for, with both players and fans embracing his work ethic and team-first mentality.

After retiring in 2017, Barnes transitioned to a premier NBA analyst on ESPN, debating the landscape with on-screen personalities such as Stephen A. Smith and Max Kellerman. In 2019, Barnes teamed up with former NBA player Stephen Jackson to debut Showtime’s All the Smoke podcast. Both Barnes & Jackson, the two most brash and unapologetic champions in the NBA, tackle everything from basketball to politics to LA lifestyle & culture. ALL THE SMOKE has become one of the world’s largest, most discussed sports podcasts in the past year, featuring an impressive array of guests such as the late Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, and Dwayne Wade. ALL THE SMOKE has become a destination for casual and dedicated fans and the place for top-tier guests to be interviewed and break the news.

Off the court, Matt also founded Athletes vs. Cancer (AVC) in honor of his late mother Ann, who lost the battle to the disease in 2007. With a mission to provide patients and their families with resources to fight, AVC partners with research institutions and celebrities to enhance public awareness of innovative treatment methods with the ultimate goal of prevention.