Matt Barnes' son Isiah Barnes sends birthday wish to former NBA champ

Isaiah Barnes, son of the former NBA star Matt Barnes, shared a birthday message for his dad on Sunday. Isaiah shared a photo of him, his twin brother Carter and his younger brother with Matt.

He wrote,

“Happy birthday dad.”

Isaiah Barnes' birthday message to his father, Matt Barnes (IG/zaybarnes30)

Barnes is a basketball prospect in the 2027 class. He and his twin brother attend Crespi Carmelite High School in Encino, California. Although their recruitment exercise is a long time away, the twins have been active in various high school basketball tournaments. With their dad’s support, they both participated in the Section 7 Basketball Tournament last June.

Isaiah discussed his father's role in their career development, particularly the Section 7 Basketball Tournament. In an interview with Cronkite News in December, he said,

“He’s preached so much to us. He’s preached mental toughness, defense, offense, consistency, body language, even playing without the ball. For this, it’s out of state. Big crowd. A lot of people trying to get in your head, but he always said, ‘Tune it out. Don’t let them get in your head.’”

Matt Barnes’ supportive role in Carter and Isaiah Barnes’ journey

Perhaps no event has displayed Matt Barnes’ impact on his sons’ lives recently more than his support for Isaiah during his medical emergency last year. The teenager went through a series of incidents in Aug. 2024, culminating in an appendectomy procedure. First, he was hit by a car when he was out jogging.

A terrible bellyache followed two days later, after which he landed on the hospital bed. Matt was there for his son throughout the experience. Sharing the doctors' assessment of the situation, he wrote on Instagram,

“Doctor said it was the largest appendix he had ever seen that hadn’t ruptured.”

Isaiah Barnes and his twin brother Carter will be looking to follow the example of their cousin, five-star shooting guard out of Chatsworth, Alijah Arenas. The twins’ mother, Gloria Govan, and Arenas’ mother, Laura, are sisters. Their dads are former NBA stars who have openly discussed their children's basketball careers.

Barnes, appearing on Arenas' show, "No Chill with Gilbert Arenas," wondered what would’ve been if their kids played together. He said,

“I wanted the twins and Alijah to kind of play together because I feel like they could have won a national championship if they put his son with the twins and we had a couple other pieces.”

Matt Barnes won the NBA championship with the Golden State Warriors in 2017.