They nearly came to blows in Gloria Govan’s backyard—now they share a hoop sideline. In October 2015, Matt Barnes allegedly drove 95 miles to confront future step‑dad Derek Fisher over his relationship with Barnes’s ex‑wife. Today, those same two men are coaching Barnes’s twin sons, proving that reconciliation can be as dramatic as the fight itself. And while the parents might still be working through old tensions, the twins just proved one awkward truth—they’ve got a surprising bond neither man can ignore.
Yet the true shock lies in how the twins have flourished. Carter and Isaiah Barnes have been making serious noise on the court. Carter, in 30 games this season, averaged 11.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks—building on a freshman year where he posted 7.3 points and 1.2 steals per game. Isaiah wasn’t far behind, racking up 13.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 2.0 steals across 28 games. With both brothers leading the Celts, the talent’s clearly there. In today’s fast‑paced prep ranks, how much of their success is natural? And how much comes down to the coach guiding them?
Ejections run in the family—Barnes ranks top‑10 all-time with 13 career kicks. On the other hand, step-dad Derek Fisher famously got bounced in Game 2 of the 2009 West semis for decking Luis Scola. And the twins say that’s exactly why they take “coachable” so seriously on the latest episode of Sportsing!. As one of them put it, “Being coachable is one of the main, like… probably the best thing you can be able to do as an athelete cuz like obviously from a young age, you’re gonna have multiple coaches from like that coach many different ways.”
July 17, 2024; North Augusta, S.C., USA; Former NBA athlete Matt Barnes sits on the sidelines during the Team Takeover and WhyNot game at the Nike Peach Jam at Riverview Park Activities Center. Team Takeover won 64-62. Mandatory Credit: Katie Goodale-USA TODAY Network
Those ejections taught them adaptability under duress. “You just have to be able to just like experience, like, shifting, adapting, adjusting to a new role,” the twin explained, before laying out the scene: “My coaches, I’ve always been close to, you know, dad, step-dad and obviously like other coaches too cuz like both parents been ejected from games, so it’s just like, other than that like, I have to adjust like, he’s stepping into coach or the assistant coach, I’ll be like, ‘all right’… i know how to be coachable or you too.” In other words, whistles may silence a parent, but they amplify the twins’ top skill—flexibility that keeps the game, and their growth, moving.
But when it comes to coaching the twins, it’s hard to argue—no one knows them better than their own parents.
Matt Barnes & Derek Fisher’s co-parenting wins
Isaiah acknowledges the dual‑coach setup can feel complex, but he swears the vibe on the hardwood is dialed-in. “He does a great job. Both dads do. They do a great job of coaching, but still being a father at the same time,” Isaiah says. Fisher even slips the dad cap on mid-game: “Like even on the basketball court, when we’re actually in a game, like he’ll give me some like advice as a father instead of as a coach perspective to like, you know, really help me understand it a lot better.”
Carter breaks down the playbook: “One coaches us for travel ball. One coaches us for high school.” Simple enough, but not when both dads bark instructions simultaneously. “There’s so many times where they tell me something and it’s in through one ear out the other,” Carter laughs, but even he can’t deny the results. Two coaches, two parenting styles, one goal: sharpen the twins’ game without dulling the father-son bond.
What seals this story: a 2015 dust‑up that threatened to derail any decent fences. A decade after Matt Barnes sped across L.A. to confront Derek Fisher in that infamous backyard dust-up, the two have flipped the narrative into a masterclass on reconciliation. Barnes told TMZ they “officially buried the hatchet” in 2021; now they share birthday parties, courtside hugs, and a united front. As Barnes summed it up on VladTV, “For two Black men to squash it the way we did is monumental. At the end of the day, he’s the stepdad of my kids.” Rivalry, retired—co-parenting, undefeated.
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