Harrison Barnes is taking a very different route with his money than the one that has tripped up plenty of former NBA players.
The San Antonio Spurs veteran recently bought Community State Bank in Paton, Iowa, and he didn’t dip in lightly. Barnes reportedly put $25 million of his own money into the purchase. In a league where the flashiest spending habits can disappear fast, that’s a massive move toward owning something that can keep working long after the final buzzer.
Barnes, 34, was born in Ames, Iowa, in 1992 and attended Ames High School, where he became the top-rated high school basketball recruit in the country in 2010. His reported career earnings are about $224.1 million, so the bank investment is still a sizable bet even against that backdrop.
The idea behind the purchase appears to be control - not just of his money, but of where it can go next. Barnes wants to control the flow and possibly invest in startups that could further help his community.
Basketball-wise, Barnes entered the league in 2012 when the Golden State Warriors took him seventh overall. He won a title with Golden State in 2015 before moving to the Dallas Mavericks from 2016 to 2019. His stint in Dallas is remembered for one unusual moment: he was traded while still actively playing in a game.
Barnes then spent 2019 to 2024 with the Sacramento Kings before landing with the Spurs in a 2024 offseason three-team trade. Since arriving in San Antonio, he has become a valuable piece for the team, especially while playing alongside the ever-growing Victor Wembanyama.
In Other News...
Spurs May Have Found An Unexpected Answer Behind Wembanyama
The Spurs keep searching for ways to make life easier behind Victor Wembanyama, and Carter Bryant has emerged as a surprising candidate to help solve that puzzle. His improved shooting, along with the physical tools that made him an appealing addition in the first place, give San Antonio a different kind of option if it wants to play bigger on the perimeter while still keeping enough size on the floor.
Bryant did not get many minutes last season, so any real bump in responsibility would have to come from a very specific role rather than a broad rotation leap. For a team trying to balance development with immediate ambition, that makes this an interesting test case: if Bryant can handle those backup center lineups, the Spurs may have found a useful piece in an unexpected spot. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Schedule Could Set Up Another Big Leap In The West
The Spurs 2026-27 schedule is the kind of release that gives a rising team reason to circle the calendar. After making clear progress last season, San Antonio appears to have a path that could help it build on that momentum, with an early slate that does not look nearly as punishing as some around the West. For a young team trying to turn promise into staying power, the opening stretch matters, and this one gives the Spurs a chance to settle in before the grind really starts.
What makes the schedule especially interesting is the way it could help San Antonio stack wins before the seasons toughest stretches arrive. There is already plenty of optimism around what the Spurs can be, and the broader read on this schedule is that it offers room for another jump if the team handles business early and avoids losing ground in the middle months. The numbers may ultimately tell a bigger story once the season unfolds, but for now the setup alone is enough to keep the Spurs on the radar as a team with real room to climb. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Just Got Pulled Into A Stephen Curry Debate Fans Will Feel
Stephen Jackson put the Spurs at the center of a big-name what-if on his podcast, suggesting San Antonio could chase Stephen Curry by sending out DeAaron Fox, one of its first-round picks and additional draft assets. It is the sort of idea that instantly grabs attention around the league, especially for a team trying to sort out its long-term direction while balancing present-day expectations and future flexibility.
The salary side of the conversation makes the speculation even more interesting, because Curry could be in a position to become a free agent next summer and is eligible for a two-year, $136.7 million extension. Nothing about the idea is concrete, of course, but it does put a familiar Spurs question back in the foreground: how aggressive should they be if a star of that caliber ever becomes remotely available? [Read more 🡒]