Draymond Green Embarrassed Himself With Charles Barkley Diss

For years, Draymond Green has been talked up as sports media’s “next” Charles Barkley. Maybe Green should not get so personal with the real Charles Barkley if he wants a future chair on Inside the NBA.

The outspoken Warriors forward tried to be a wiseguy with Barkley on Wednesday night’s TNT Sports pregame show, which is licensed to ESPN. But Green’s punch didn’t land. Now he’s facing a backlash on social media.

The awkward exchange started when Barkley noted it’s “over” for the aging Warriors dynasty, which netted four NBA championships from 2015-2022. “Listen, sports are for young people. You hope to have a great long career. But nobody wins when they’re 37 or 38,” said the Chuckster.

That was Charles being Charles. Blunt. Straight to the point. And usually correct. Instead of addressing the issue, Green got personal with Barkley, who’s been retired for 26 years. “The goal is just to not look like you in a Houston Rockets uniform,” Green cracked.

Ouch.

If it was supposed to be a joke, nobody laughed. If it was supposed to be a serious appraisal of Barkley’s four seasons in Houston, it didn’t add up. After all, Barkley was still an All-Star with the Rockets in the 1996-1997 season, averaging 19.2 points and 13.5 rebounds per game. Green doesn’t have the same comedic chemistry with Barkley and the rest of the cast that Shaquille O’Neal possesses. You could feel the tension among the normally loose, fun-loving cast.

Yes, Green has won four NBA championships to Barkley’s zero. But he was always the third or fourth option behind Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and, for three seasons, Kevin Durant. Trying to show up a popular legend is one thing. But Green left the impression that he believed his career was equal to Barkley’s. He’s rightly being ratioed for his delusions on social media.

“Aside from the fact that this is awful, awkward television, it’s also just ahistorical,” wrote FS1’s on X/Twitter. “In his 4 years in Houston, Chuck averaged 16-12-4, including averaging 18 & 12 during a run to the Western Conference Finals. Draymond continues to recreate history.”