Pro Hoops Star Harrison Barnes is Setting Goals and Scoring Dreams

Fitbit ambassador Harrison Barnes is sinking baskets from center court. Whoosh. He pauses to perfect his form, letting the ball drop and bounce to the floor. And then, whoosh. Another one flies through the net. Even here, at a local gym for a photo shoot, Barnes is perfecting his game.

And that drive for perfection has paid off: Barnes scored 15 points to help the Golden State Warriors to their 73rd win. A monumental, historic victory—and an extra-special one for Barnes. He was just three years old when his idol, Michael Jordan, made the same history, launching the Bulls to a legendary 72 wins. “I thought that record would never be broken,” Barnes says. “I mean just thinking about winning 72 games—it’s almost unreal, and to be able to win 73! It’s nuts.”

Nutty or not, Harrison Barnes has even more in common with MJ: For starters, his middle name. “My mom was always a huge, huge basketball fan, and a Bulls fan,” Barnes says. “My middle name is Bryce Jordan; my mom was a diehard to say the least.”

Barnes’ mother also recorded all of Jordan’s games. “That’s pretty much how the love connection started,” Barnes explains. “I have boxes and boxes of video tapes in my basement, and I watched them all growing up.”

Like Jordan, Barnes attended the University of North Carolina and earned All-American status among other honors, ruling the court as a small forward. “I also always wanted to be 6’6,” he laughs, referring to Jordan’s height. “When I got to high school I was 6’4, so I was waiting, waiting, waiting, and then I got up to 6’6. But then I got to college and had to list my height as 6’8.”

While Barnes’ achievements might seem the stuff of dreams (he’s also a national champion and reigning World Champion), they didn’t necessarily come easily. The Iowan worked hard. A natural athlete, Barnes made competitive sports a priority from a young age. He played soccer for six years as a kid, and in high school, aced the 100, 200, and 400-meter runs as a sprinter on the track team. Let’s mention here too, that Barnes was also an annual honor student, played the saxophone, and sang in the school choir. And no matter what he did, he pushed his limits. “I’d be up working at 6 a.m., whether it was on the track, on the basketball court, in the pool—I was always getting work in, and always trying to get better,” he says.

Barnes also regularly set goals—and met them. “I always wanted to play in the NBA. I used to see all these guys from across the country who were the best in the state, or the best in the nation, and I thought, ‘I’d love to do that,’” he says. “Seeing yourself crossing goals off the list is incredibly motivating.”

Do you want to be like Barnes? Here’s what he’d like you to know, especially when the going seems tough: “Every step matters. A lot of people—when they make goals, or have ambitions—they’re just thinking about achieving the end result. But in order to get there, it takes a lot of little steps, day by day. A lot of times you don’t get any reward, and you don’t get a good feeling when you finish. But know that every step builds toward that bigger goal. And once you get there you’ll think, ‘Wow, this is a great feeling—but the journey to get here was the best part.’”