Editing Rick Barry (section)

==Early life==
Barry was born in [[Elizabeth, New Jersey]] and grew up in nearby [[Roselle Park]], an urban middle-class community. As a fifth-grader, he played with the varsity basketball team, for which his father Aldo served as coach, however, baseball was his best sport and he was a fan of local New York Giants superstar [[Willie Mays]], who wore jersey number 24. Barry once skipped school to shake Mays's hand;<ref>{{Cite news |last=Brown |first=Daniel |date=2024-07-19 |title=Warriors’ Rick Barry ran onto the field to meet Willie Mays. A friendship was born |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5646426/2024/07/19/willie-mays-giants-rick-barry-warriors/ |access-date=2025-05-26 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> he would wear the same number in tribute to the outfielder throughout his basketball career. In 1962, he graduated from [[Roselle Park High School]] in [[Roselle Park, New Jersey]].<ref>{{cite book|title=The Ultimate New Jersey High School Year Book|date=1998}}</ref>