John Barnhill

John Barnhill

3x NAIA Champion | ABA & ABL Champion | Los Angeles Lakers Assistant Coach

John Barnhill was born on March 20, 1938, in Sturgis, Kentucky. At the guard position, he played basketball at Lincoln High School in Evansville, Indiana. He later played college basketball at Tennessee State. where he won an NAIA championships in 1957, 1958 and 1959. Barnhill’s 1957 TSU Tigers were notable as the first all-black team to win a major American basketball tournament.

Barnhill was selected with the 77th overall pick in the 11th round of the 1959 NBA Draft by the St. Louis Hawks. He played for the Cleveland Pipers of the National Industrial Basketball League, where he won the 1961 ABL championship, then played in the NBA for the St. Louis Hawks, Detroit Pistons, Baltimore Bullets, San Diego Rockets.

He also played for the Scranton Miners (ABL) before returning to the NBA and playing for the American Basketball Association where he played for the Baltimore Bullets and Indiana Pacers, where he won 2 ABA championships in 1970 and 1972 and the Denver Rockets (ABA). Overall, in his 12-season playing career, he averaged 8 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists per game.

Barnhill retired in 1972 and became an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers, his only coaching role.

Coach Barnhill passed away on November 11, 2013, at the age of 75. In 2026, he was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.

Coaching Career

After retiring from playing, Barnhill became an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers under Bill Sharman. His fellow assistant was Larry Creger. In his first season as an assistant, the Lakers finished with a 47-35 record, qualifying for the playoffs, but were eliminated in 5 games (4-1) in the conference semifinals by the Milwaukee Bucks. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was acquired via trade in 1975 and won MVP In 1976.

In 1975, he acted as the Lakers’ interim coach during the 1974–75 season, while Sharman was away due to a family matter.

Notable Players Coached

  • Jerry West
    • 1972 NBA champion
    • 1969 NBA Finals MVP
    • 14× NBA All-Star (1961–1974)
    • NBA All-Star Game MVP (1972)
    • 10× All-NBA First Team (1962–1967, 1970–1973)
    • 2× All-NBA Second Team (1968, 1969)
    • 4× NBA All-Defensive First Team (1970–1973)
    • NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1969)
    • NBA scoring champion (1970)
    • NBA assists leader (1972)
    • NBA anniversary team (35th, 50th, 75th)
    • No. 44 retired by Los Angeles Lakers
  • Elgin Baylor
    • 11× NBA All-Star (1959–1965, 1967–1970)
    • NBA All-Star Game co-MVP
    • 10× All-NBA First Team (1959–1965, 1967–1969)
    • 1959 NBA Rookie of the Year
    • 35th, 50th, & 75th NBA anniversary team selections
    • No. 22 retired by Los Angeles Lakers
  • Wilt Chamberlain
    • 2× NBA champion (1967, 1972)
    • 1972 NBA Finals MVP
    • 4× NBA Most Valuable Player (1960, 1966–1968)
    • 13× NBA All-Star (1960–1969, 1971–1973)
    • 1960 NBA All-Star Game MVP
    • 7× All-NBA First Team (1960–1962, 1964, 1966–1968)
    • 3× All-NBA Second Team (1963, 1965, 1972)
    • 2× NBA All-Defensive First Team (1972, 1973)
    • 1960 NBA Rookie of the Year
    • 7× NBA scoring champion (1960–1966)
    • 11× NBA rebounding champion (1960–1963, 1966–1969, 1971–1973)
    • 1968 NBA assist leader
    • 35th, 50th, & 75th NBA anniversary team selections
  • Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
    • 6× NBA champion (1971, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988)
    • 2× NBA Finals MVP (1971, 1985)
    • 6× NBA Most Valuable Player (1971, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1980)
    • 19× NBA All-Star (1970–1977, 1979–1989)
    • 10× All-NBA First Team (1971–1974, 1976, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1986)
    • 5× NBA All-Defensive First Team (1974, 1975, 1979–1981)
    • NBA Rookie of the Year (1970)
    • NBA All-Rookie First Team (1970)
    • 2× NBA scoring champion (1971, 1972)
    • NBA rebounding leader (1976)
    • 4× NBA blocks leader (1975, 1976, 1979, 1980)
    • 35th, 50th, & 75th NBA anniversary team selections
  • Gail Goodrich
    • 1972 NBA champion
    • 5× NBA All-Star (1969, 1972–1975)
    • All-NBA First Team (1974)
    • No. 25 retired by Los Angeles Lakers
  • Pat Riley
    • NBA 1972 champion as a player
    • 5× NBA champion as Head Coach (1982, 1985, 1987, 1988, 2006)
    • Future 3× NBA Coach of the Year (1990, 1993, 1997)
    • 9× NBA All-Star Game head coach (1982, 1983, 1985–1990, 1993)
    • Future Top 10 Coaches in NBA History
    • 2012 Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient
  • Lucius Allen (1971 NBA champion)
  • Mel Counts (2× NBA champion (1965, 1966)
  • Connie Hawkins
    • 1968 ABA champion
    • 1968 ABA Playoffs MVP
    • 1968 ABA Most Valuable Player
    • 4× NBA All-Star (1970–1973)
    • 2× ABA All-Star (1968, 1969)
    • All-NBA First Team (1970)
    • 2× All-ABA First Team (1968, 1969)
    • ABA All-Time Team
    • No. 42 retired by Phoenix Suns
  • Cazzie Russell (1970 NBA champion & 1972 NBA All-Star)
  • Kermit Washington (Future 1980 NBA All-Star)
  • Corky Calhoun (Future 1977 NBA champion)
  • Roger Brown (1976 ABA All-Star)
  • Donnie Freeman
    • 1973 ABA champion
    • ABA All-Time Team
    • 5× ABA All-Star (1968–1972)
    • 1972 All-ABA First Team
    • 3× All-ABA Second Team (1969–1971)
  • Stu Lantz (Future Lakers color commentator; since 1987)