The Legend of Marvin Barnes

Posted: 2 years ago

Marvin Barnes (born July 27, 1952) is a former professional American basketball player. A 6'9" forward, Barnes (nicknamed "Bad News" and "The Magnificent" ) played in the American Basketball Association from 1974 to 1976 and in the National Basketball Association from 1976 to 1980. He had his greatest success in the ABA, where he starred for the Spirits of St. Louis and was named Rookie of the Year for the 1974–75 season.

Early in Barnes' rookie year with St. Louis, he bolted the Spirits for parts unknown and attempted to renegotiate his contract. Eventually, he was found (along with his agent) in a smoky pool hall in Dayton, Ohio. Fortunately, Marvin returned to the Spirits and continued his spectacular rookie year.

FROM THE FEBRUARY 1975 ABA FAN CLUB NEWSLETTER: "St. Louis held a 'Beat the Nets' night on February 6, in the hopes of ending a six game losing streak to the defending ABA Champion Nets. Some 2,500 clickers were handed out to fans, the Nets were forced to run under a ladder in order to get from the locker room to the court, and Julius Erving was hanged in effigy. Marvin Barnes, the Spirits' rookie All Star, even wrote a poem just for the occasion:

Gather up close and hear what I say,
There once was a doctor named Erving,
Whose slam dunks were especially unnerving,
But when Marvin gets movin',
And the crowd gets to groovin',
For the doctor a hospital bed they'll be reserving.

Infamous for his multiple arrests, he was also known as "Tire Iron" Barnes for assaulting his teammate with a tire iron.

Marvin also didn't understand the concept of time zones. He was reluctant to board a flight scheduled to leave Louisville at 8 a.m. and land in St. Louis at 7:59 a.m. because, he explained, "’I ain't goin' on no mothafuckin' time machine.’" Barnes rented a car and drove to St. Louis.