Charles Barkley had an exchange with Golden State Warriors veteran Draymond Green during the TBS broadcast of the 2023 NBA All-Star Game on Sunday that revamped a long-running beef.
The “Inside the NBA” analyst has gone public with his “hate” for Warriors fans, and he called them out again on Sunday as he gave his thoughts on the team’s prospects for the rest of this season.
“The Golden State Warriors are cooked”, Barkley says greenwho worked as a secondary analyst for the game.
“That’s crazy,” Green joked. “You said that last year, but we all know you don’t know what you’re talking about.”
When Barkley said he didn’t doubt the Warriors last year before they came back and won the title, Green said: “You say that every year! You’ve said that every year since I’ve been in the game. league.”
“It’s not true, but you’re all cooked now,” Barkley said of the team currently sitting in ninth place in the Western Conference. “You have finished.”
“That leaves us still four (NBA championships) ahead of you, boss,” Green concluded.
Barkley is one of only six players in NBA history to have at least 20,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 4,000 assists. Upon retirement, however, he was candid that his work upset viewers if it meant keeping them engaged.
He emphasized that priority during the playoffs last year. It wasn’t enough for the NBA legend to call San Francisco “hell” ahead of the Warriors-Mavericks Western Conference Finals. He also started “you suck” chants with Warriors fans after Game 1 of this series and followed them up wearing a Boban Marjanović Dallas jersey after Game 2.
“Oh, I can buy the (Warriors),” Barkley said on the “Ryen Russillo Podcast” before the shirt stunt. “I hate their fans. But we have a lot of give and take, and I don’t mind that. As long as people react to your opinion, you’re doing what you’re supposed to do on TV.
This is the exact opposite of Green’s philosophy. A media personality himself, Green has a podcast and has even released a self-produced documentary. He touts these projects as facets of “new media,” as opposed to “traditional media,” which he says relies on “hot takes.” Still, Barkley has no intention of changing his incendiary approach.
“You want an analyst, whatever, I’m not sure what I am, to be honest with you. You want people to respond to everything you say. So whether you boo me or cheer me on, as long as they…I’m like (WWE wrestler) Roman Reigns. As long as they recognize me, I’m doing my job,” he added.
To his credit, he perceives stimulating comments with parity. His comments calling Kevin Durant a “bus driver” during the Brooklyn Nets playoff sweep sparked a response, for example. There’s more where that came from, as Barkley and the “Inside the NBA” team recently signed new contracts that will keep them on the air for “many years to come.”