Draymond Green and Charles Barkley, who had a nasty public spat some time ago, are now close buddies. The two have buried the hatchet and are now working together as analysts for "Inside the NBA" along with Shaquille O'Neal, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson. As new as Green is on the show, he is already developing exciting chemistry with the “Chuckster.”
In the latest episode of "The Draymond Green Show," the former Defensive Player of the Year had Charles Barkley as his guest. During the show, the Hall of Famer compared the Golden State Warriors forward to an iconic defensive ace from the 1980s and '90s.
Here’s what Barkley had to say:
“You know what’s really funny? You remind me a lot of Dennis Rodman. Like, I wanna play with you, (but) you’d be annoying as f**k to play against.
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"I saw Dennis at the 75 thing. We hugged each other like brothers. He’s somebody I really like a lot and respect. You (are) the same way. It would be annoying to play against you, because, No. 1, I don’t think you've ever committed a foul.”
Anyone who has followed Green’s career and has watched Dennis Rodman will find the comparison perfect. Although they have played in different eras, they have so many similarities, one of which is the uncanny ability to rile up opponents.
Green usually gets into his opponents’ heads with his relentless trash talk. He’s widely considered to be one of the nastiest in provoking rival teams to do something other than just pure basketball.
Rodman, on the other hand, is legendary for simply causing chaos. He did it not with his mouth, but with how he plays the game. Arguably, no one is more annoying and quick to get under people’s skin than “The Worm.” He would literally do anything on the court to win basketball games.
Draymond Green and Dennis Rodman relished the hard work to make their respective teams achieve greatness
Draymond Green and Dennis Rodman played for two of the greatest teams in the history of the NBA. Green was a part of the 73-9 Golden State Warriors in 2015-16 while “The Worm” was a crucial part of the 72-10 Chicago Bulls in 1995-96. Both were not stars but still overwhelmingly important in their team’s success.
The Golden State Warriors rely on Green’s leadership on both ends of the floor to contend and become champions. In so many ways, he is the metronome that keeps the juggernaut ticking. He is also the de facto point guard who regularly sets up the NBA's greatest shooter of all time.
Rodman, on the other hand, played for two championship franchises, the "Bad Boy" Pistons and Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls. He built an impeccable resume in his 14-year Hall of Fame career. He’s a two-time Defensive Player of the Year and, at 6-foot-7, led the league in rebounding for a mind-boggling seven seasons.
At a time when the NBA had Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, Hakeem Olajuwon and Shaquille O’Neal, Rodman consistently beat them for the rebounding title. Back then, no one could toggle guarding Shaq one day and then John Stockton the next. But Rodman could.
Charles Barkley got it perfectly right when he compared Green to Rodman.
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