Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green (23). AP
Although they played over a decade apart, forwards Draymond Green and the now-retired Charles Barkley hold eerily similar qualities on and off the court.
Both are undersized forwards who played bigger than their frames. Both carried an undeniable swagger on the hardwood. And let’s also not forget about their penchant for trash talk.
But despite the glaring resemblances in their games, the current Golden State Warrior enforcer couldn’t help but brush off their supposed likeness.
When asked by reporters if he sees himself in the Hall of Famer, the Defensive Player of the Year candidate strongly shut down the suggestions.
“Hell no,” Green said, per Chris Haynes of ESPN. “I’m the modern-day Draymond Green. F**k no.”
He added: “[Chuck] told y’all in ’90-what that he wasn’t your kid’s role model anyway. He wasn’t my role model. I grew up in Saginaw, Michigan.”
“That’s what you do, you talk, you talk junk during basketball. That’s how I was raised. I was raised in a family like that, so I didn’t need a Charles Barkley to influence me,” he explained.
Meanwhile, Barkley who now works as a TNT analyst, played in the NBA for 16 seasons, suiting up for the Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns and the Houston Rockets.
Stats-wise, Barkley posted superior numbers than Green, but the latter already won an NBA championship—a feat that Sir Charles was unable to accomplish.
As of this writing, the outspoken analyst has yet to address Green’s comments, but expect “The Round Mound of Rebound” to fire back soon. Khristian Ibarrola/JB