Dick Barnett, who helped propel the Knicks to their glory days in the 1970s with his strange jump-shooting style, and who played on the only two N.B.A. championship teams in the Knicks’ history, died in his sleep last night in Largo, Fla. He was 88.
The Knicks announced the death, at an assisted living facility, on social media on Sunday, soon after a dramatic victory in a first-round playoff series against the Detroit Pistons. Danielle Naassana, a producer of “The Dream Whisperer,” a PBS documentary about Barnett and his college career that came out last year, said he had become increasingly frail in recent years but did not appear to have a fatal illness.
Barnett was voted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in its men’s veterans category in April 2024.
Playing for 14 seasons in the N.B.A., his last nine with the Knicks, Barnett teamed with Walt Frazier and Earl Monroe at guard, Willis Reed at center and Bill Bradley and Dave DeBusschere at forward under Coach Red Holzman.
The Knicks won N.B.A. championships in 1970 and 1973 with smart, unselfish play and tenacious defense that complemented their scoring power. Barnett displayed all-around court skills but was remembered most for unleashing jumpers with a form that had not been seen before or since.
The 1970 starting lineup of the Knicks celebrated after beating the Milwaukee Bucks to win the 1970 N.B.A. Eastern Conference title. From left: Barnett, Walt Frazier, Bill Bradley, Dave DeBusschere and Willis Reed.Credit…Dan Farrell/New York Daily News Archive, via Getty Images