The Houston Rockets’ No. 20 has been through plenty of hands over the years, and one of the more recognizable names to wear it was Jon Barry.
Barry arrived in Houston in 2004 and finished out the final two seasons of his NBA career there, a stretch in which he was the Rockets’ No. 20 and averaged 6.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, and as many assists per game. Before that, the guard had already built a long NBA resume that began after his college run at Georgia Tech, where he closed out his career before being selected 21st overall in the 1992 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics.
His path to Houston was anything but direct. Barry never played for Boston, instead landing with the Milwaukee Bucks after refusing to sign with the Celtics.
He spent his first three pro seasons in Milwaukee, then moved on to the Golden State Warriors in 1995. From there came stops with the Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento Kings, Detroit Pistons, and then the Hawks again before he was traded to Houston.
Barry is the 12th of 18 players to wear No. 20 for the Rockets, part of a long jersey lineage that stretches back to the franchise’s start in the 1967-68 season. Across that span, Houston has used 52 different jersey numbers, worn by just under 500 players in team history. Seven of those numbers have since been retired to honor some of the greatest Rockets ever to wear them.
All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.
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