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Draymond Green takes unbelievable shot at Charles Barkley
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Draymond Green takes unbelievable shot at Charles Barkley's career during 'Inside the NBA' 

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has never been shy about voicing his opinions and delivering some brutally honest statements. It's that mindset that makes him a likely natural for a career in television when his playing days are over, and we got a great glimpse of what that might look like when he filled during "Inside the NBA" on Wednesday night.

It was during that appearance that he took a wild shot at the end of Charles Barkley's career when discussing what the Warriors' short-term goals are as their core group gets older and deals with injuries.

Draymond Green does not want to look like Charles Barkley in Houston

Barkley ignited the fuse for Green's comment by saying that professional sports is a young man's game, and that nobody wins when they are in their late 30s.

It was at that point that Green said the goal was to simply not look like Barkley did when he ended his career with the Houston Rockets

After a brief awkward silence, Kenny Smith interjected and asked Green what that looked like, with Green responding by saying, "Did you see it? I saw it." 

Green went on to explain that the Warriors just want to continue competing at a championship level whether it results in another championship or not. 

The "Inside the NBA" crew has built an unmatched rapport with one another over years of doing the show together where they can take little playful digs at one another and laugh it off. They know it's coming from a place of respect, they exchange banter and then move onto the next part of the segment. 

But this felt a little different. 

Your best friend making a playful jab at you hits a little different than a new person showing up in the group and saying the same thing. You expect it from the friend. You know where it's coming from. You have all probably made the same joke at each other for years. The new person doesn't have that same cache, and the awkward silence from the rest of the crew certainly gave it that feel. Especially when Smith asked Green to explain what he was talking about. 

Barkley, by the way, still averaged 16.5 points per game with the Rockets in his four seasons and played in an All-Star Game. His 8.4 rebounds per game with the Rockets were also identical to what he averaged with Phoenix Suns. While he was clearly not the player he was at his prime with the Philadelphia 76ers and Phoenix, he was hardly embarrassing himself out there. He could still bring it. 

Green, for the record, has averaged 8.7 points and 6.8 rebounds over his full career. This past season, he averaged just 8.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. 

Even with all of that, this is why you put Green on a show like that. He is going to bring some serious heat to it and say whatever is on his mind. He might have a future on the show. And perhaps after a couple of years, he can make a similar comment get a different reaction from the rest of the crew. 

Adam Gretz

Adam Gretz is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh. He covers the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA. Baseball is his favorite sport -- he is nearly halfway through his goal of seeing a game in every MLB ballpark. Catch him on X @AGretz

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