Golden State Warriors forward has spent several seasons filling in on the Inside the NBA set, and many have come to view him as teh to be anointed ’s heir apparent to Charles Barkley on the show, but he won’t go so far as to say as much himself.
After Barkley doubled down on his intentions to retire and take a step back from the public eye following the upcoming NBA season, Green was asked in a recent interview with Front Office Sports if he had any desire to inherit one of the most coveted chairs in sports media.
“I’ve been incredibly fortunate that Craig Barry and the entire team at formerly Turner Sports, but you know, at Turner, that they took a liking to me and they appreciate what I bring to the table, what I bring to the show,” Green said. “And they’ve had me on during playoffs, All-Star. I mean, I’m still kicking myself that I did the NBA Finals with them this past year.”
Green stood firm on the belief that Barkley’s vacant chair won’t be his to claim, and shot down the notion that anyone could fill the legend’s shoes.
“It’s not my place or role to say, like, yeah, that’s the seat I’m filling,” he said. “I just don’t make that decision. You know, Charles Barkley is a legend. So to even think that you’re filling his seat, I think that’s a grave mistake. You never replace superstars in the NBA. Michael Jordan still hasn’t been replaced in Chicago some 30 years later. You don’t replace greatness. You don’t replace GOATs.”
Although Barkley has toyed with the notion of retirement for several years now, something feels different this time around. Earlier this month, he told Bill Simmons that the coming season would “100 percent” be his last.”
For Green’s part, his immediate focus is on making one last title run with the Warriors and proving Barkley wrong.
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.