Charles Barkley tells Draymond Green the Warriors are 'cooked' during All-Star game
Charles Barkley had an exchange with Golden State Warriors veteran Draymond Green on the TBS broadcast of the 2023 NBA All-Star Game on Sunday that revamped a longstanding beef.
The “Inside the NBA” analyst has gone on record about his “hate” for Warriors fans, and he called for them once again on Sunday while he gave his opinions on the team’s outlook for the remainder of this season.
"The Golden State Warriors are cooked," Barkley told Green, who worked as a sideline analyst for the game.
"That's crazy," Green quipped. "You said that last year, but we all know you don't know what you're talking about."
When Barkley claimed not to have doubted the Warriors last year before they came back and won the title, Green said "You say that every year! You've said it every year since I've been in the league."
"That's not true, but y'all are cooked now," Barkley said of the team currently holding ninth place in the Western Conference. "Y'all are done."
"That still leaves us four [NBA championships] ahead of you, boss," Green concluded.
"The Golden State Warriors are cooked."- Charles Barkley
"That's crazy. You said that last year, but we all know you don't know what you're talking about."- Draymond Green
"Y'all are cooked now... ya'll are done... I'm telling you, y'all are done."- Charles Barkley🏀☠️ pic.twitter.com/86jELqZKF9— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 20, 2023
Barkley is one of only six players in NBA history to have compiled at least 20,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 4,000 assists. In his retirement, however, he’s been candid in saying that his job is upsetting viewers if that means keeping them engaged.
He highlighted that priority during the postseason last year. It wasn’t enough for the NBA legend to call San Francisco "hell" prior to the Warriors-Mavericks Western Conference Finals. He also threw "you suck" chants back-and-forth with Warriors fans after Game 1 of that series and trolled them by wearing a Boban Marjanović Dallas jersey after Game 2.
“Oh, I can buy into the [Warriors]," Barkley said on the "Ryen Russillo Podcast" before the jersey stunt. "I hate their fans. But we have a lot of give and take, and that doesn’t bother me. As long as people are reacting to your opinion, you're doing what you're supposed to do on television.”
It’s the exact opposite of Green’s philosophy. A media personality himself, Green has a podcast and even released a self-produced documentary. He touts those projects as facets of the “new media,” a contrast to “traditional media,” which he argues relies on “hot takes.” Still, Barkley has no intentions of changing his inflammatory approach.
“You want an analyst, whatever, I'm not sure what the hell I am, to be honest with you. You want people to respond to whatever you say. So whether you boo me or cheer me, as long as they ... I'm like [WWE wrestler] Roman Reigns. As long as they acknowledge me, I'm doing my job," he added.
To his credit, he levies the stimulating comments with parity. His comments calling Kevin Durant a “bus rider” during the Brooklyn Nets’ playoff sweep triggered a response, for example. There’s more where that came from, since Barkley and the “Inside the NBA” crew recently signed new contracts that will keep them on the air for “many years to come.”
