WATCH: Matt Barnes Explains How Marijuana Made Him a Better Player
Aug 5, 2025
During an appearance on the Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast, former NBA star Matt Barnes said that he used to watch game film while high on marijuana.
Barnes was long considered to be one of the bad boys of the NBA, but the small forward could also play. Drafted in the second round out of UCLA in 2002, he cut his teeth in the NBA for two years before signing with the Clippers in 2004.
Barnes became a 16-year veteran who played on several really good teams, including the 2017 NBA Champion Golden State Warriors.
The former hooper was speaking with Torre about marijuana use and why it is so prevalent among players in the NBA. Barnes noted:
"I wouldn't say that cannabis directly makes you better from an enhancement standpoint of an HGH or a steroid or something like that. I would say it enhances your play because you get a great night's sleep. It helps with inflammation. I smoke before I play, so I'm watching game film on Kobe Bryant and I'm high. So I'm tuned in to his moves. I know his rhythm. I know when he takes two dribbles right, he's going to stop and shot fake and get me up in the air. So I'm locked in."
Players in the NBA are not allowed to consume marijuana despite the fact that the drug is now legal in half the states of America. That does not mean players aren't using it, though. As Barnes points out, many players are consume on a regular basis.
