In life it wasn’t what you know, but who you know. I had people who were trying to buy teams and had they bought the teams, I would have gotten to coach because they wanted me to coach. But the people who have the teams hire their friends.
Meaning of the quote
In this quote, Rick Barry is saying that in life, it's more important to know the right people than to have a lot of knowledge. He had friends who wanted to buy sports teams and they would have given him a coaching job if they had bought the teams. But the people who own the teams usually just hire their own friends, even if those friends don't have as much experience or knowledge.
More quotes from Rick Barry
People who don’t know me have opinions about me. That’s the part that’s very hurtful. Because how do you form an opinion about somebody if you’ve never met them or spent any time with them? So it’s all based upon hearsay or things that they’ve read.
{mb_by_description:plain}
They have so fundamentally flawed techniques it’s ridiculous. They shoot the ball flat. They all stand upright, there’s just so many things they do incorrectly.
{mb_by_description:plain}
In life it wasn’t what you know, but who you know. I had people who were trying to buy teams and had they bought the teams, I would have gotten to coach because they wanted me to coach. But the people who have the teams hire their friends.
{mb_by_description:plain}