Not only does Charles Barkley believe that Draymond Green’s groin shot on LeBron James was justified, he said that the Warriors big man had no choice but to retaliate as he did.
Barkley appeared on SiriusXM’s Bleacher Report Radio on Sunday and said that Green had a “moral obligation” to punch James back after James stepped over him during Game 4.
“I gave Draymond a compliment,” Barkley said, via CBS Sports’s James Herbert. “I said, ‘You could have played in our day.’ Because when a guy steps over you, you have a moral obligation to punch him. You have a moral obligation. Because that’s really disrespectful to step over a guy. You’re supposed to pop him in his junk if he steps over you like that. That’s a perfectly fine response if a guy does that.
“Now, you gotta act like you didn’t try to do it. I will admit that. You got to act like you didn’t mean to do it. But listen man, and I can say it, I told Draymond that: when somebody steps over you, they’re doing that intentionally to just like rub it in your face. I mean, they’re deliberately trying to punk you in that situation.”
Barkley is as old school as it gets, so it’s no surprise that he feels this way. Green felt disrespected too, which undoubtedly played a role in his reaction.
Will Green regret his conduct now that he’s been assessed a flagrant and, subsequently, a suspension? We’ll have to wait and see. You can bet Barkley won’t be pleased by the league’s decision, though.
