Draymond Green certainly knows how to make his presence felt.
Last month, while once again filling in for Shaquille O’Neal on Inside the NBA, Green offered several memorable opinions, none more potent than his jab at the final chapter of Inside star Charles Barkley’s playing career. While parrying Barkley’s assertion that the Golden State Warriors’ run was over, Green responded that he and his teammates are just trying to avoid looking like Barkley did while with the Houston Rockets in the late 1990s.
The joke made for some awkward television and sparked a discussion about Green’s disposition as a television commentator and whether he was actually cut out for a career in media.
In response, Barkley said he refused to “punch down” at a lesser player like Green and that Green’s presence in the Inside studio during the NBA postseason was proof that they had been knocked from their throne. Green, for his part, apologized and said he did not intend to “disrespect” Barkley.
For the first time since that encounter, Green is slated to return to the show for Games 3 and 4 of the NBA Finals from New York City, according to ESPN.
This season marks the first NBA Finals coverage for the legendary Inside the NBA, now that it is licensed by the Worldwide Leader. Welcoming Green in for the occasion is a good sign that his last appearance has not left any scars, but it will be fascinating to see how Green integrates with the cast, assuming he is an extra commentator this time around, rather than a fill-in.
The meteoric rise of Victor Wembanyama coupled with the New York Knicks’ return to the NBA Finals, all packaged inside of a rematch from nearly 30 years ago, has the makings of a fantastic championship series, leaving Green, Barkley and Co. with more than enough basketball storylines to focus on while leaving their confrontation in the past.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.