Special Forces star Matt Barnes claimed he was previously a victim of targeted harassment from the KKK.
“One thing my dad always preached was to protect your family, no matter what. And it was the same for my career,” Barnes, 46, said during the Thursday, October 29, episode about his tendency to get physical. “I was the oldest of three. We moved from San Jose to Sacramento and my parents went out of their way to put us in better schools.”
The former NBA star said he “faced a lot of racism growing up.”
“Being Italian and Black, I wasn’t Black enough and wasn’t white enough,” he explained. “So in third grade, my dad told me, ‘If they call you the N-word, fight them.’ So I was fighting so much that my mom had to come and work at the school.”
During his senior year, Barnes said “the KKK came and vandalized” his high school, adding, “Swastikas everywhere [and messages saying,] ‘Barnes must die.’ They hung a mannequin from the oak tree in front of the school with my football jersey on it. It was heavy.”
Though it was traumatic, Barnes considered it “a learning experience.”
“[It] marked me throughout my career. I found myself getting in trouble for standing up for teammates,” he continued. “But if I’m on that team, we’re family. So if anyone’s fighting, I’ll be the first one to get in line.”
The athlete added: “It cost me probably close to $700,000 in fines over my career. But I wouldn’t change it, because like I said those are my brothers that turned into family.”
Special Forces, which premiered in 2023, puts celebrities through harsh training based on actual military selection processes. The cast faces intense physical and mental challenges designed to push them to their limits.
Before season 5 premiered last month, Directing Staff member Rudy Reyes praised Barnes’ commitment to the journey.
“That Matt Barnes — I have not had very good experience with NBA or NFL guys on this course,” he exclusively told Us in September. “A couple of standouts, one of course being Danny Amendola. But in general, when it’s no longer fun and it starts to really become unglamorous, I think they’ve made too much money and they’re like, ‘I’m going home, I don’t need this.'”
Reyes was pleasantly surprised by Barnes, adding, “What an asset, a real asset. And he’s not exactly a spring chicken — his knees were gone, his back’s not so great. Very impressed. He was always getting around to the other recruits, showing communication and leadership. I really like that guy.”
Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test season 5 airs on Fox Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET.
