Believe it or not, Charles Barkley has apologized for something crazy he said.
A day after he repeatedly said on the TNT halftime broadcast that he wanted to punch Draymond Green in the face, the NBA Hall of Famer is backing down.
"I said something that I shouldn't have said. I want to be man enough to apologize. I was 100 percent wrong," Barkley told Waddle & Silvy on ESPN 1000 in Chicago.
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SIGN UP HERE In addition to his comments on ESPN Radio, Barkley addressed the situation during TNT's pregame show prior to the Rockets-Jazz game on Wednesday evening.
"Let me say this. I apologize to Draymond Green and his mom...What I said was inappropriate. I would never punch an NBA player, I would never punch an NBA player. I meant what I said, I meant what I said, but I would never punch an NBA player. Draymond Green is a good player, I think he's a nice kid, I wish him nothing but the best, but what I said was inappropriate and I got guys who are mentors to me, they called me today and told me what I said was inappropriate. Derek Stafford, Jason Whitlock and Mike Wilbon, they're my mentors and big brothers. What I said was wrong and inappropriate. I appreciate them reaching out to me. My personal opinion should never come across in a comment I make about a team or a player. It did last night. Draymond is a helluva player, he's an irritant, he annoys me at times, but he's a helluva player. But what I said was wrong and I apologize," Barkley said.
Green was asked to respond to Barkley's initial comments moments after the Warriors beat the Pelicans 121-116 in Game 2 on Tuesday night.
“He’s seen me a million times, if you feel that strongly about it, then punch me in my face when you see me,” Green responded. “If you’re not going to punch me in the face when you see me, then shut up.”
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“It’s no different than someone sitting behind a computer screen tweeting, ‘I’ll knock you out’ and you never see it in real life,” Green continued. “Well, he’s seen me a bunch of times and he’ll see me again this year. Punch me in the face when you see me or no one cares when what you would have done. You old and it is what it is. If you ain’t going to punch me when you see me then stop talking about it, period.”