From April 28th to May 3rd, India plays host to NBA star Harrison Barnes.
The former NBA Champion will visit the country to promote the continued growth of basketball in India looking ahead to the upcoming NBA India Games 2019.
MORE: When are the NBA India Games?
So who is Harrison Barnes?
Background
Barnes was born in Ames, Iowa on May 30th, 1992.
College experience
Representing the North Carolina Tar Heels for two seasons (2010-12), Barnes played 75 games and recorded averages of 16.3 points and 5.5 rebounds on 43.0% shooting.
He was named the ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) Men's Basketball Rookie of the Year in 2011, becoming the fourth ninth player in school history and fourth under coach Roy Williams to earn that honour.
NBA experience
The 2018-19 season was Barnes' seventh year in the league.
He was drafted in 2012 by the Golden State Warriors with the seventh overall pick in the Draft.
He spent his first four seasons in the NBA with the Warriors, making the postseason each one of those years including the NBA Finals in 2015 and 2016.
Barnes earned his first and only NBA Championship so far with the Warriors when they defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 4-2 in the 2015 NBA Finals.
In the 2016 offseason, Barnes signed with the Dallas Mavericks as a free agent.
In his four years with the Warriors, he averaged 10.1 points and 4.6 rebounds on 44.6% shooting from the field in 307 regular season games (246 as a starter). In 64 postseason games (56 starts) for the Dubs, Barnes averaged 10.7 points and 5.1 rebounds on 41.9% shooting from the field.
With more touches and playing time, his production saw a jump with the Dallas Mavericks. However, after two-and-a-half seasons with the franchise, he was traded to the Sacramento Kings during the 2018-19 mid-season trade window.
As a member of the Mavericks in 205 regular season games (all starts), Barnes averaged 18.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.6 assists on 44.5% shooting. In the latter half of this past season with the Kings, Barnes started all of his 28 games while recording numbers of 14.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.9 assists on 45.5% shooting from the field.
Skill set
A member of the 2016 Olympic Gold Medal winning US National Team, Barnes is a 6-9 forward, who fits perfectly in the current NBA as a reliable 3-and-D wing.
Despite being only 26 years old, Barnes' experience makes him a grizzled veteran in comparison to the youngsters on the Kings' current roster.
