Usually, sports stars in their late 30s hope for one final championship run. Yet the reality is that only the rare 1-2% ever reach the title. In the NBA, names like Robert Parish and Al Horford sit in that elite zone. And the rest can only dream of such a chase. Especially for a team like the Golden State Warriors, which is also losing its dynasty status in the league, going for that fifth ring feels Utopian. But that fact didn’t sit well with Draymond Green. And the Warriors veteran threw shade at Charles Barkley.
Well, that moment on Wednesday’s edition of Inside the NBA set all hell loose on Green. Experts of the game and fans reacted to Draymond’s personal remark. Meanwhile, Barkley broke his silence and slammed the 36-year-old with a reality check on The Dan Patrick Show. “The Warriors haven’t been relevant for three or four years,” the Hall of Famer said.
“They’ve been in the Play-In. When you’re in the Play-In, you’re not in the playoffs. That’s something Adam Silver, who I love, but the Play-In is something they just made up to have more games to put on a different network,” Barkley added. “When you’re in the Play-In, the Warriors have been in the Play-In, I think, for four straight years. They’ve been irrelevant, and I know he doesn’t want to say it.”
He argued that Golden State’s recent years stuck in the play-in picture already prove the dynasty phase is over. While Draymond responded personally to his criticism, Barkley doubled down, saying the Warriors are no longer true contenders and their dominance has already faded. After their 53-29 run in the 2021-22 season and a title in the same, the Warriors’ performance has dipped.
They went 44-38 in the 2022-23 season, 46-36 in 2023-24, 48-34 in 2024-25, and 37-45 in 2025-26. This brings the average win percentage across those four seasons is 53.35% with a 175-153 record. Meanwhile, the Warriors walked into the 2025-26 season carrying plenty of experience and plenty of mileage.
Their roster averaged 27.53 years, making them the NBA’s second-oldest team, yet the projected starting lineup pushed close to 35.8-36 years. Meanwhile, the franchise still leaned heavily on Steph Curry at 37-38, Jimmy Butler at 36, and Draymond Green at 35-36. That star power still carried weight; however, the age conversation kept growing louder as the season unfolded and the Warriors struggled to keep pace physically.
Therefore, Charles Barkley’s claims about age and championship fit the scene. Unfortunately, for Draymond Green, the Warriors loyalist, it was a hard pill to swallow.
Draymond Green’s strange remark on Charles Barkley
The Golden State Warriors star joined the Inside the NBA crew on Wednesday as Shaquille O’Neal’s replacement. Now, during the conversation, Charles Barkley told Green, “Sports are for young people. You hope to have a great, long career, but nobody wins when they’re 37, 38 [years-old].” This statement didn’t sit well with the 36-year-old.
He fired back with an insulting tone, “I think the goal is just to not look like you in a Houston Rockets uniform.” Green took his shot at Barkley with confidence. Yet Kenny Smith’s stunned reaction on live TV told another story. Meanwhile, the internet hit back even harder. Fans and media voices quickly called out Green for getting basic details wrong about Barkley’s career and his final four seasons with the Houston Rockets.
However, Charles Barkley told Dan Patrick, “I don’t ever take anything. You can never take personal shots at guys. I’ve said that in my 26 years, my critiques of every player or coach is only about the situation. He took a shot at me, but I don’t get offended because other guys, I’ve said things about guys, and they took personal shots at me.”
Simply put, Draymond Green’s remark didn’t truly affect Barkley because, at the end of the day, what he said held more truth. The Golden State Warriors are indeed a crumbled dynasty. And one might nod their head if you say they’re irrelevant in the NBA. However, for Draymond, that’s the only franchise he’s known throughout his career so far. So he defended them, but his point didn’t come through with clarity.
