Spurs' Harrison Barnes Ruled OUT vs. 76ers; Ends 4-Plus-Year 'Ironman' Streak

PHILADELPHIA — Harrison Barnes has been ruled OUT of the final game of the San Antonio Spurs' month-long Rodeo Road Trip Tuesday night, citing left ankle soreness discovered a few hours before tipoff against the Philadelphia 76ers.

The forward woke up from a nap with the discomfort, Spurs coach Mitch Johnson explained pregame. He added that Barnes, who was ruled out before the end of his press conference, spent time with the medical staff at Xfinity Mobile Arena hoping to play.

"Hoping it's nothing serious," Johnson said.

Barnes' injury status ends a 364-game streak of games played, dating back to Dec. 4, 2021— the second longest in the NBA. New York Knicks guard Mikal Bridges, who has played in all 614 games of his career since being drafted in 2018.

Playing for over four years straight stood out to Johnson, though even he pointed out the inevitable mortality of such an ironman streak, for any player.

"At some point, he had to (miss a game)," the coach said. "It speaks to the preparation that he does before he goes into the game. It speaks to the recovery process that he puts in after the game. He's just a consummate pro. It's a heckuva run that he had."

Feb 21, 2026; Austin, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Harrison Barnes (40) shoots in the first half against the Sacramento Kings at Moody Center. | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

This season, Barnes is averaging 10.2 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists on 44 percent shooting from the field and 37 percent shooting from beyond the arc — his lowest distance clip since the 2022-23 season while still with the Sacramento Kings.

Barnes' shooting slump played a role in his recent benching. Julian Champagnie filled the final starting spot next to Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, De'Aaron Fox and Devin Vassell; the result, as proven in February, worked well.

“He accepted his role with no problem,” Wembanyama said in Brooklyn, N.Y. “It’s been smooth. It’s also allowed Devin to show some great things.”

Johnson, meanwhile, gave no thought to the semantics of his new starting lineup.

“We’ve had a lot of guys we’ve done that with,” Johnson said. “There was nothing there that made me feel any different than what we’ve done with almost the whole roster this year.”

As the Spurs prepare to face the 76ers, who are missing both Paul George and Joel Embiid, they'll likely utilize Carter Bryant more frequently — a change from Sunday's blowout loss, in which the rookie logged only four minutes of run time.

After that, San Antonio hopes Barnes can return to play ready to begin a new streak.

Tipoff between the San Antonio Spurs and Philadelphia 76ers from Xfinity Mobile Center is set for 7 p.m. EST Tuesday night on NBC and Peacock.