The New York Knicks lost a member of their family this week.
Barry Clemens has died. He was 83.
Clemens’ death was announced by the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday:
The Cleveland Cavaliers and Rock Entertainment Group are saddened to learn of the passing of former Cavalier, Barry Clemens.
A Dayton native and Ohio Wesleyan College product, Clemens played 143 games in the Wine & Gold from 1972 to 1974 during an 11-year NBA career and was inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.
Our thoughts are with his family and friends.
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) October 27, 2026
Barry Clemens With Knicks
Clemens was a Knicks draft pick back in 1965.
He had put together a legendary college career at Ohio Wesleyan University, and the Knicks chose him No. 22 overall in 1965 — in those days, that was the third round.
That’s the same draft that the Knicks took Bill Bradley at No. 1 overall out of Princeton.
Clemens played just the first season of his 11-year career with the Knicks. He averaged 12.5 minutes per game and shot 41.2% from the floor and 69.2% from the foul line. Clemens averaged 5.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game.
The Knicks lost Clemens after that season because the NBA expanded, and the Chicago Bulls picked him in the expansion draft.
Barry Clemens’ NBA Career
After leaving the Knicks, Clemens spent three seasons with the Bulls. He played 213 games for Chicago and averaged 8.1 points per game.
He then spent three seasons with the Seattle SuperSonics, playing 238 games there with an average of 7.6 points per game.
Clemens then went to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the trade that also sent the Cavs Lenny Wilkins. He got 143 games in two seasons with his home-state team, averaging 6.0 points per game.
To close out his career, Clemens played two seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers for 126 games.
Clemens also had a stint with the New Orleans Jazz from the 1974 expansion draft, but they traded him to Portland before he played a game for them.
Those remembering Clemens’ basketball career have also shouted out his time at Ohio Wesleyan in the Ohio Athletic Conference. When he ended his career there, he was the OAC’s all-time leading scorer. He averaged 23 points and 14.7 rebounds as a senior for OWU.
A 6-foot-6 forward, Clemens’ full name was John Barry Clemens, and Basketball Reference lists his nickname as “B.C.” He attended Xenia High School in Ohio before going to Ohio Wesleyan.
Ex-Knicks Forward Dies at 83