NBA 'bad boy' drives 150 kms to assault former teammate for romancing estranged wife

Sordid love triangle? (image courtesy FoxSports)

When Deep Purple wrote “Love Conquers All”, we’re pretty sure this is not what they meant. In a shocking incident, Memphis Grizzlies’ small forward Matt Barnes drove 150 kilometers to confront and assault former teammate and current New York Knicks’ coach Derek Fisher after he found out that the latter was getting amorous with his estranged wife, Gloria Govan. Barnes and Fisher were teammates in the LA Lakers in 2011.

According to nypost.com, on Wednesday, Barnes left his team practice in California following a tip that Fisher was getting cozy in his former home with Govan, star of the show “Basketball Wives LA.” Sources state that Barnes’ 6-year-old twin sons, Carter and Isaiah, called him with the news. The enraged 6”7’ 107 kg Barnes “went crazy” and drove to his house to ”beat the s–t out of him (Fisher)”, said a source.

Barnes arrived at his erstwhile home at 11.45 PM PDT to find Fisher, Govan and 10 other people gathered around a bonfire in the backyard. A bust-up between 6”1’ 100 kg Fisher and Barnes ensued and the police were called. Fisher left the premises before they arrived.

After the incident, Barnes texted a friend claiming to have taken revenge not only on Fisher, but Govan as well: “I kicked his a-- from the back yard to the front room, and spit in her face.” A source close to Fisher also claimed that he wasn’t the worse for wear or seriously injured and wasn’t planning to file charges against Barnes, though Govan was planning to file a restraining order against him.

Fisher was available for comments following the fight, and had the following to say: “My state of mind — like I talked to the guys (his team) a few minutes ago — is personal, and private matters are personal and private. I’ve been through a lot in life. Sometimes, we go through things we can’t or can control. I’m here. I’m focused. It’s not something that’s going to take me away from what we’re trying to do.”

Representatives for Barnes and Govan didn’t oblige the media with replies. The Grizzlies announced that they are aware of the incident and are gathering information about it. The NBA is investigating it as well.

41-year-old Fisher divorced Candace, his wife of 10 years, in March this year, while 35-year-old Barnes filed for divorce from Govan in January. According to reports, Fisher and Govan began dating a few months ago.

Barnes, who is known for his aggressive style of play, has a reputation of being quite the tearaway athlete. In 2010, he was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence against Govan, his fiancee at the time. In 2012, he was arrested for threatening a cop who recognized him as having an outstanding warrant or driving with a suspended license. This year, Barnes was fined $50,000 for a vituperative outburst against a fan seated courtside, who was later revealed to be NBA star David Harden’s mother.