Matt Barnes and Derek Fisher were once teammates on the Los Angeles Lakers. They are also part of an infamous NBA saga, one where Fisher is dating Barnes’ ex-wife Gloria Govan, and where Barnes and Fisher fought in 2015 over ... well, it wasn’t immediately clear. The league handed out suspensions for the incident, and we sort of moved on.
Now, Barnes has told his side of the story to Fox Sports’ Chris Broussard. In a sit down as part of Broussard’s “In the Zone”, Barnes revealed some of the details revolving around his fight with Fisher, including where the two stand as of today.
Barnes said the fight arose not because Fisher was dating Govan, but because Fisher was around Barnes’ kids and in Govan’s house -- which Barnes says he pays for -- without the former New York Knicks coach speaking to him first.
Via Twitter:
"He and I are cool. ... He makes my kids happy, [so] I'm happy."@Matt_Barnes22 explains the Derek Fisher situation and its resolution in a candid interview with @Chris_Broussard on #InTheZone. pic.twitter.com/IQbzxnxht0
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) March 10, 2018
It’s pretty interesting the kind of co-parenting strategy Barnes is willing to admit he is employing between himself, Fisher, and Govan. It seems like a lot of us grew up in situations where there was more than two parental figures at times, and that can be complicated to figure out.
In any case, it’s good to see Barnes and Fisher aren’t throwing down anymore.