Kings forward Harrison Barnes will go ungroomed until team starts winning games
Kings forward Harrison Barnes is a handsome man. He has this smooth, suave, sophisticated look. The magazines would say he’s debonair, but they haven’t seen him lately.
Barnes is a bit of a mess right now. He hasn’t had a haircut in two months. His beard is patchy, unshaped and unkempt. He’s letting himself go, and he won’t stop unless the Kings get it together.
Back in December, Barnes vowed not to shave or cut his hair until the Kings achieved a .500 record. It seemed like a good idea at the time. The Kings were 12-15 then, only one game into an eight-game losing streak that would sink their season.
Things aren’t looking so good now. The Kings are 21-31, hoping to regroup as they head home for the All-Star break following a 130-111 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday at American Airlines Center.
“We took a little detour since then, but I’m a man of my word, so the only way it gets cut is if we get to .500 or the season’s over,” Barnes said. “Things got a little rough there for a while, but we’ve been playing better basketball now on a more consistent basis, so I think if we can continue to build on what we’ve been doing, we should be all right.”
The Kings had won six of eight before losing road games to the Milwaukee Bucks and Mavericks this week. They are playing better, but they’re still a long way from .500.
Some of Barnes’ coaches and teammates were surprised to hear what he was doing.
“I figured he was just trying to get a beard like mine,” Kings guard Cory Joseph said. “I was like, ‘What is he doing?’ I think he needs to put a little more beard oil on that thing, get a little moisturizer on that joint. That might make it grow a little faster, but I don’t know if it will ever look like mine.”
Kings coach Luke Walton seemed surprised, too.
“Did he clear that with his wife?” Walton asked. “I like it. I like it. I’m not going to do it, but I like it.”
Barnes is averaging 14.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists for the Kings. He is an NBA champion and an Olympic gold medalist who has posed for magazine shoots with his wife, Brittany, who is not enamored with his changing appearance.
“She understands the principle behind it,” Barnes said. “We’ll just say that. She definitely gives me her two cents on how I look, but she understands the principle. Hopefully it’ll be a good story in the end if we get there.”
If not, Barnes will be seeking hair-care and grooming tips from teammates such as De’Aaron Fox, Jabari Parker and Marvin Bagley III.
“I’m going to have to start asking Fox, Jabari and Marvin about how to start managing this long hair and the face,” Barnes said. “I definitely didn’t anticipate it going this long.”
Kings upcoming schedule
Feb. 20 vs. Memphis, 7 p.m.
Feb. 22 at Los Angeles Clippers, 12:30 p.m.
Feb. 25 at Golden State, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 27 at Oklahoma City, 5 p.m.
Feb. 28 at Memphis, 5 p.m.
This story was originally published February 13, 2020 at 4:00 AM.
