Although NBA games are broadcast on TNT now, the popular broadcast show Inside the NBA managed to survive, finding a new home on ESPN. While covering the Conference Semifinals, NBA legend Charles Barkley and the rest of the studio crew were joined by Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green.
Green and the Warriors failed to reach the playoffs this season, falling just one game short with a loss to the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Play-In tournament. In a somewhat tense debate, Barkley attempted to temper Green’s expectations moving forward in his career, as competing for another NBA title looks further and further out of reach.
“Sports— listen, sports are for young people. You hope to have a great long career, but sports— nobody wins when they’re 37, 38,” Barkley said.
“Yeah, I mean, I think the goal is just to not look like you in the Houston Rockets uniform,” Green said, referencing Barkley’s tenure with the Houston Rockets at the end of his career, when he was past his physical prime.
“I mean, so, you know, we, we’re always going to try to compete,” Green explained. “When you win championships, the goal will always be to try to reach that level. Can we get back to that level?”
Green went on to explain that the Warriors may not compete for another championship, but the goal is still to build toward the next one.
“I think understanding what is success at this point is key for us,” he said. “Knowing and understanding that it may not be realistic to win a championship, but can we continue to build to that so that once we leave this organization, it’s still in a great space of where they have that pedigree and they can try to build on that?
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.