A journeyman forward who rarely played half a game finished runner-up in a nationally televised one-on-one tournament against the best players in the NBA.

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Rock Entertainment Group announced on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026, that Barry Clemens, an NBA forward who played 11 seasons for five teams, had died at 83. A cause of death was not disclosed.

The Cavaliers said they were “saddened to learn of the passing of former Cavalier, Barry Clemens.”

Clemens was born John Barry Clemens on May 1, 1943, in Dayton, Ohio. He went to Xenia High School in Xenia, Ohio, then to Ohio Wesleyan University, where he averaged 23 points and 14.7 rebounds as a senior and won Ohio Athletic Conference player of the year honors in 1965. He left Delaware, Ohio, as the all-time leading scorer both at Ohio Wesleyan and in the OAC — a small-college scorer professional teams could not ignore.

Drafted Behind Bill Bradley

The New York Knicks took Clemens in the third round of the 1965 NBA draft, No. 22 overall, in the same draft that brought them Princeton’s Bill Bradley with the No. 1 pick. Clemens made his NBA debut on Oct. 16, 1965, and played 70 games as a rookie, averaging 12.5 minutes, 5.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.0 assists while shooting 41.2 percent from the floor and 69.2 percent from the line. It was his only season in New York.

The expansion Chicago Bulls selected him in the 1966 expansion draft. He spent three seasons there, playing 213 games and averaging 19.1 minutes and 8.1 points, with his best scoring year coming in 1967-68: 9.3 points and 4.8 rebounds over 78 games. He appeared in seven career playoff games — three in 1966-67, four in 1967-68 — averaging 3.7 points, and his postseason work included the Bulls’ first playoff run.

His Sharpest Shooting Came in Seattle

Clemens played three seasons for the Seattle SuperSonics, appearing in 238 games and averaging 17.7 minutes and 7.6 points in the sharpest shooting stretch of his career. In 1971-72 he played all 82 games and shot 52.1 percent from the field and 84.4 percent from the free throw line.

He returned to his home state in the trade that also sent Lenny Wilkens to Cleveland. Wearing No. 40, Clemens played 143 games over two seasons for the Cavaliers, averaging 14.2 minutes and 6.0 points.

The New Orleans Jazz picked him in the 1974 expansion draft and traded him to Portland before he ever played a game for them. He closed his career with 126 games over two seasons for the Trail Blazers, averaging 11.1 minutes and 4.4 points.

Clemens finished with 790 regular-season games, averaging 15.9 minutes, 6.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists, shooting 45.4 percent from the field and 75.6 percent from the foul line. His career highs were 29 points and 17 rebounds.

A Final Against Geoff Petrie

On May 6, 1973, Clemens played in a one-on-one tournament among NBA players at Madison Square Garden, televised by ABC. A forward who averaged fewer than 16 minutes a night reached the championship game, where he lost to Portland All-Star guard Geoff Petrie.

The Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame inducted Clemens in 2009, and the Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame inducted him the same year.