Sacramento native Matt Barnes hoping to land Kings, Warriors players for Stephon Clark rally

Sam Amick | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Al Sharpton attacks Trump at funeral for Stephon Clark Sharpton gave the eulogy for Clark, 22, to the overflowing Bayside of South Sacramento Church as he held tightly to Stephon's distraught brother, Stevante, who frequently grabbed the microphone.

SACRAMENTO – If Sacramento native and longtime NBA veteran Matt Barnes has his way on Saturday, the evening game between the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings will be nothing more than a meaningless afterthought for his heartbroken hometown.

Long before the lottery-bound Kings host the defending champions at the Golden 1 Center – that site where Black Lives Matter protests have closed the doors of two games recently in the wake of the Stephon Clark killing by two Sacramento police officers – Barnes will take part in a rally at Cesar Chavez park in which the calls for accountability will continue. And Barnes, who attended Clark’s funeral alongside Reverend Al Sharpton in south Sacramento on Thursday and has given financial support to the Clark family, hopes some of his old teammates join him.

“I know the Warriors and the Kings both play that night, so I’m going to try to talk to both sides and, you know, the game at this point kind of doesn’t really matter,” Barnes told USA TODAY Sports after the funeral. “The (playoff) positions are already set, so I’m hoping (the Warriors) can come out and support.”

Sacramento native and longtime NBA vet Matt Barnes stood with Reverend Al Sharpton at Stephon Clark’s funeral today. Story to come on the part he has played here in his hometown pic.twitter.com/ECyKRMwBxP — Sam Amick (@sam_amick) March 29, 2018

As local voices go, Barnes’ is as unique as they come.

He grew up in Sacramento, attending Del Campo High School before making his way from UCLA to a 14-year NBA career. While playing with the Kings during the 2016-17 season, he joined players like DeMarcus Cousins, Garrett Temple and Rudy Gay for community events aimed at improving relationships between youth and law enforcement. According to The Sacramento Bee, Barnes and Cousins offered to pay expenses for the funeral.

But Barnes’ perspective is grounded in more than his childhood roots, as he now has two young sons who live with him in the area.

“Being a father of two boys, it’s something that’s near and dear to my heart so it’s something I had to get involved in,” Barnes said. “I think we need (change), and I’m going to make sure I show my face more and more in Sacramento to make sure it happens. (The police department is) so worried about the gang violence, but at the same time we’ve got to hold these people who are paid to protect and serve accountable. …The black on black crime is also something that’s very prevalent in these neighborhoods, and I’m here to try to help make a change.

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“I’ve been talking to the (Clark) family since it happened, just trying to get an understanding of what’s going on, and their grief and their pain," Barnes said. "I chose to step in to try to eliminate any financial burdens, because they’re already going through enough. This is where I grew up. This is where I kind of got my name at, and it’s something where I wanted to come and try to make a difference.”

The rally, Barnes hopes, will make a difference on that front. And while representatives from the Kings and Warriors said it was unclear whether players will take part, Barnes is right about the game itself being as irrelevant as they come.

The Warriors are 6 1/2 games behind the first-place Houston Rockets in the Western Conference with just eight games to go, and they're 8 1/2 ahead of No. 3 Portland.

The Kings, meanwhile, are 24-51 and about to miss the playoffs for the 12th consecutive time.

“We have a rally Saturday at noon at (Cesar) Chavez park…to hold these people accountable, to bring the community together, and address the black on black crime issue in not only this neighborhood but in neighborhoods across the country,” Barnes said. “Tons of former and current players called me to ask what I was doing, so myself and my team we jumped in the line of action, providing whatever the family needed and putting together the rally for Saturday.”

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