Wednesday night on “Inside the NBA” was less of a pregame show and more of a roast session when Draymond Green joined the desk.
The Golden State forward started going after Charles Barkley as the Mound Round of Rebound poked fun at the sinking ship that is the Warriors dynasty.
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Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors reacts during a game against the Sacramento Kings at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California on April 10, 2026. (Rocky Widner/NBAE)
The tension started when Sir Charles decided to pay tribute to the Dubs while looking Green dead in the eye.
“It’s over for the Warriors. No disrespect. It’s over for all old teams,” Barkley said.
“You had your run; you get old; you let Klay go. You and Steph are on the back end of your careers; it just passed you by.”
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Barkley kept his foot on the gas.
While crediting the Warriors for “one of the greatest runs of all time,” he made it clear that Father Time remains undefeated in the paint.
“Sports … look, sports are for young people,” Barkley added. “You hope to have a great long career, but sports … nobody wins when they’re 37, 38.”
NBA TV analysts Charles Barkley and Chris Webber talk with Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green after Game 3 of the NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio on June 7, 2017. (John W. McDonough/Sports Illustrated)
Predictably, Draymond was unable to resist the teasing.
He waited for the opening and went for the jugular, referencing Barkley’s infamous sunset years at Texas.
“Yeah, I mean, I think the goal is just not to look like you in the Houston Rockets uniform,” Green shot back.
The jab was a direct hit during Barkley’s ring-chasing era in Houston, where the Hall of Famer was famously a shell of his MVP self.
Green then switched to a rare moment of veteran self-awareness, admitting the Warriors are in a transition phase but insisting pedigree matters more than the box score.
“I think understanding what is success at this point is key for us,” Green explained. “Knowing and understanding that it might not be realistic to win a championship, but can we continue to build toward that so that when we leave this organization, it’s still in a great place?”
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Despite Draymond’s talk of maintaining a winning pedigree, this year was a harsh wake-up call for the Golden State faithful.
Draymond Green and head coach Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors react in the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Ga., on March 21, 2026. (Paras Griffin/Getty Images)
The Warriors’ season ended with a whimper as they finished 10th in the West and were promptly bounced out of the play-in tournament.
Barkley may think the lights are fading, but Draymond will definitely keep swinging on the way out.
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