All-time great power forward Charles Barkley had an interesting point to make about Draymond Green after the war of words between the two this past season. Green made some borderline disrespectful comments about Barkley and how his career ended when the two worked together on Inside the NBA coverage for ESPN Playoff games. Quite a few pundits called out the Golden State Warriors star over thinking he’s as good as Barkley was.
An appearance on the Pardon My Take podcast saw Barkley agreeing with that assessment when throwing shade at Draymond:
“I never even gave that a second thought, but I was really surprised by how many people went after Draymond and defended me. I’m not sensitive at all because I say stuff about players. Listen, man, Draymond is a good player, I was a great player. I don’t go back and forth with… listen, he’s a very good player, but we’re not on the same level.”
Barkley did praise Green for his long and successful career, but the last sentence is the most relevant here. The former MVP doesn’t view Draymond as being at the same level as him. Green has tried to use his four titles and defensive reputation to make up the gap, but Barkley was the face of multiple franchises more akin to Stephen Curry or Kevin Durant than to Draymond.
How Draymond Green “Disrespected” Charles Barkley
The topic was brought up to Barkley due to how much fans and media took exception to Green trying to invalidate his career. This exchange happened when Barkley was saying the Warriors have no chance to contend again with the older core of Curry, Green, and Jimmy Butler.
Green delivered the following savage response that started everything:
“Well, here’s what I would say: We had that hug for a reason, we’re not oblivious that this could be the end. I think the goal is just to not look like you in the Houston Rockets uniform.”
Fans started sharing recaps of stats that confirmed Barkley’s years with the Houston Rockets still featured him putting up better stats than Green at his peak. To his credit, Green later claimed that he was joking around since Barkley always talks about regretting those final seasons when he felt like a shell of himself.
Why The NBA Should Respect Charles Barkley More
The bigger overall point here is that fans, media, and even players all have a perspective on Barkley that often invalidates his playing career. Barkley is most known for his comedic moments as a broadcaster joking with Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith these days.
However, Barkley is arguably a top 25 player of all time who put up dominant stats for the Philadelphia 76ers and the Phoenix Suns. The 1993 MVP Award saw Barkley being the top challenger to Michael Jordan and falling just two wins short of a title against that iconic Chicago Bulls team.
Barkley belongs on any top power forwards list for being a transformative player that become a household figure in the 1990s. NBA personalities who joke about him for his broadcasting work owe it to Barkley to look back at just how great he was on the court.
Charles Barkley Says Draymond Green Was Never On His Level