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TMZSports.com
It’s true … the NBA is better with Draymond Green on the basketball court, according to Charles Barkley, who tells us the 4x champ is at a crossroads, and it’s time to knock off the “antics.”
TMZ Sports caught up with the Hall of Fame hooper in NYC Wednesday morning … where we asked Chuck about 33-year-old Green’s return to the Warriors following last month’s squabble with Suns center Jusuf Nurkic.
“It’s great to have Draymond back, great to have him back,” Barkley said.
“He’s a very good player, he’s good for the NBA. I hope he gets rid of the antics because he’s a very good player and a good dude, but like I said, he’s got to stop putting himself in bad situations.”
Of course, aside from the 4 rings he won with Golden State, Green is a 4x NBA All-Star and former Defensive Player of the Year … but, there have also been a handful of ugly incidents, many occurring on-court during games. There was also the Jordan Poole punch.
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OCTOBER 2022
In fact, before the Nurkic hit, Green was suspended five games for putting Rudy Gobert in a headlock during an in-game fight with the Timberwolves.
Because of all that, Charles says Draymond must keep his nose clean going forward.
“Obviously, two big suspensions are a big deal. He’s got to walk a straight and narrow line. He’s just not been fair to himself and to his team.”
FWIW, it sounds like Green has gotten the message … recently speaking about how he’s grown during his month off.
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The Draymond Green Show
There’s more with the NBA legend … we also talked to Barkley about NBA vet Dennis Schroder finally explaining how he fumbled an $84 million bag a few years back.
Check out the clip!