NBA star Draymond Green is no stranger to controversy, and TNT’s Inside the NBA has always been quick to point out Green’s flaws.
Recall the time a few years ago when Charles Barkley said he wanted someone to punch Green in the face? Green responded by daring Barkley himself to do just that.
Green, however, joined the Inside the NBA team as a guest analyst in early 2022, becoming the first active player to handle that role. Anyone who expected TNT’s analysts to take it easy on their sometimes co-worker has been sorely disappointed, as Barkley and the rest have not been afraid to call out the four-time NBA champion and All-Star.
On Tuesday night’s show, Kenny Smith delivered a scathing commentary on Green’s latest drama, the five-game suspension he received for putting Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert in a chokehold during a recent game.
“When you think of Draymond Green, we all love Draymond individually. He comes in, we love him,” Smith said. “But we’re at a point, if you’re apologizing consistently, then you are actually in the wrong. There are no more apologies. This is what, the third apology in the last six months.”
“He is too good a player, and too seasoned a player, to keep apologizing. At 22, 23, 24 years old, you can keep apologizing. But at this stage of his career, and a champion, we should be out of the apology stages in his career.”
“You would think he knows where the line is, and how far he can go, but he keeps crossing it,” host Ernie Johnson interjected.
“He keeps crossing it,” Smith agreed.
https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1729659179613196303
Smith’s criticism paled in comparison to how co-hosts Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal reacted shortly after Green’s infamous chokehold, with Shaq re-enacting the move on a willing Barkley.
https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT/status/1724679049849569639
When Turner Sports signed Green to a multiyear deal last year, a report surfaced he might be the eventual replacement for Barkley. One can only imagine the ribbing in store for Green on the set if that happens.
[Clutch Points]; Photo Credit: TNT]
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.