How former Sonic Brent Barry found new chapter for his NBA career

PORTLAND, Ore. — For the better part of 15 years, Brent Barry stayed involved in professional basketball by sitting around.

Once his playing career ended — which included a five-year stint in Seattle with the SuperSonics — Barry transitioned into being a voice of the league as a television analyst. When he wanted a different challenge, he moved into a role working in the front office for one of the league’s top franchises.

Now Barry has decided age 53 was the right time to give coaching a try as an assistant coach with the Phoenix Suns.

“My youngest son was off to college and so if you’re not paying for burgers for your kids, what are you doing?” Barry said in February when the Suns were in Portland to face the Trail Blazers. “And so he took off to college and the timing was really ideal for taking a step to do a job that’s relentless and rewarding all at the same time.”

Sitting on the bench as the assistant coach of an NBA team is the latest chapter in Barry’s basketball journey that began growing up in the Bay Area the son of a Hall of Famer, and watching the likes of Gary Payton become a star before following Payton’s path as both were college standouts at Oregon State at different times.

From Corvallis, Barry embarked on a 14-year NBA career with stops in Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, San Antonio, Houston and, of course, with the SuperSonics where he was teammates for a brief time with Payton.

Once his playing career ended, Barry was an analyst for nine seasons on television with regular appearances on NBA TV and TNT. When he needed a different challenge, he joined the front office in San Antonio as the vice president of basketball operations in 2018.

And now, with his kids out of the house and still with the desire to remain involved with the game, Barry is one of eight assistants on the bench of Mike Budenholzer with the Suns.

Budenholzer said it’s the continuation of a relationship that goes back to their years in San Antonio when Barry was still playing and Budenholzer was an assistant to Gregg Popovich.

“Brent is such a great human. Getting to know him during his playing days, obviously, in San Antonio we kind of raised our kids together to be honest with you. Really cool to see how our kids have grown up and given us each a hard time,” Budenholzer said.

“But his basketball IQ is just off the charts. The way he sees the game, the way he can talk to players, the way he can share with me, share with the coaching staff. He’s creative. He’s one of the most creative guys I’ve been around, whether it’s on the court or off the court. He brings a lot. It’s been fun to have him,” he said.

Memories of Seattle

It’s been more than 20 years since Barry was a starting wing for a Sonics franchise that was in a constant state of transition during his tenure. When he arrived, the Sonics were still a team built around the combo of Payton and Vin Baker, and coached by Paul Westphal.

It was a little surreal for Barry following Payton’s path from the Bay Area to Oregon State to teammates with the Sonics.

“Seattle is a special place for me. It was like an opportunity I didn’t see coming because I got traded there from Chicago and all of a sudden I’m there and I’m playing with Gary Payton, who I watched play in high school growing up in the Bay Area and he played against my brother Jon,” Barry recalled.

In Barry’s second season, Westphal was fired and replaced by Nate McMillan. In Barry's fourth year, Payton was traded to Milwaukee in exchange for Ray Allen. And in his final season, the Sonics finished eight games under .500.

The Sonics made the playoffs twice in those five seasons, lost in the first round both times and underwent some tumultuous changes while Barry was there.

And yet, they may be the best seasons of Barry’s playing career. He averaged a career-best 14.4 points in 2001-02 while starting 81 of 82 games. Of his 449 career starts, 296 came with the Sonics. His second season in Seattle, Barry led the league in two-point field goal percentage; the next year he led the league in three-point shooting percentage.

It’s why Seattle — along with his love for Pearl Jam and the city where his first son was born — holds such a special place.

“My chances to play there and kind of be expressive as a player and have some freedom there, for sure, that all happened in Seattle in ways that I’m indebted to, both coach Westphal and Nate to kind of let me be a little bit more free,” Barry said.

The next phase

Barry was at a crossroads when his time with the Sonics ended. And his decision to go to San Antonio set the stage for the next chapter of his career.

Barry spent four of his final five seasons as a player with the Spurs. He won a championship in 2005 and again in 2007. As important as success on the court, he got to know the Spurs front office and developed a relationship with Budenholzer.

It just took a decade for those bonds to come to fruition.

Barry enjoyed his time working for RC Buford in the Spurs front office. But the idea of coaching lingered.

“The timing of the coaching thing, it’s always something that I’ve thought about for at least the last decade,” Barry said. “And when (Budenholzer) got the job, having the relationship, the previous relationship I had with him as an assistant in San Antonio, we had even talked about when I was playing about being together at some point after the career was over.”

Because he’s never coached before, Barry is trying to absorb all he can from a coaching staff that includes former NBA head coach David Fizdale and former Washington men’s coach Mike Hopkins.

“The amount of respect for the knowledge that’s around me and at my disposal and listening to these guys and learning has been a treat,” Barry said.

It hasn’t been an easy season in the desert. Once seemingly a lock for a playoff spot, the Suns are trying to find a path to reach the play-in tournament. But Barry is appreciative of the opportunity he’s received to learn and work with younger players still learning the league.

As he boarded the team bus, Barry was reminded again that 2004 was the last season he played for the Sonics.

“I can’t believe it’s flown by like that,” he said. “But I’m thankful that I get to grab the ball every day, that’s for sure.”

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