Charles Oakley called Draymond Green a failure and hurt his feelings. So the new generation big man had to respond. To recap, while everyone was blown away by Dray shutting down Victor Wembanyama on Wednesday, Oak was on the Art of Dialogue talking the evolution of bigs from a traditional center like him to an aggressive forward like Draymond Green and beyond. It was a lot of words to indirectly call the current generation soft.

So before he was going to play against Wemby again, Green was on his self-titled podcast replying to ‘Uncle Oak.’ For starters, he refered to the Knicks legend as “my guy” and emphasized the respect he has for him. But…

“I disagree with some of it, as in like, ‘Oh man, Draymond’s style wouldn’t fit in the NBA in the ’90s.'” He had a very distinct reason for that too. “Who Draymond Green is—I created my style, actually. I’m a basketball player. So, I know how to adjust to different situations.” Very true. While Oak abd Patrick Ewing created the standard for a physical center, Draymond Green adapted to the times and redefined what an elite defender works like. He’s a little mouthy while he does that, but that’s the DrayMagic brand.

While he was at it, Dray stood up for the other bigs in this generation. “So I disagree with not being able to play in the ’90s. The skill level wasn’t as high as it is today. They did not run up and down the court like we do today. The game was way slower. Yeah, guys were bigger, but you can say guys are soft today. I’m sorry to tell you, but Nikola Jokic ain’t soft. I’m sorry to tell you, Wembanyama’s a little skinny, but he ain’t soft.”

When he said this, the Warriors’ standings in the NBA Cup Group Stage was jeopardized after losing to Nikola Jokic and the Warriors. They then beat the Spurs where Green was a bullheaded defender against Wemby. They’d beat the Spurs again in the second round of group play on Friday night.

A moment where Wemby posterized Green and the thoroughly mismatched bigs getting into a staredown was the highlight of the game. Even the Spurs bench were shocked by Wemby literally getting in Dray’s face. Most observed how Green’s persistence across two games cracked Wemby to react that way. Definitely no soft players here.

What Green does admit is that the game is played differently because the rules have changed. The things Oak, Shaq, Dikembe, and Charles Barkley did got a free pass unlike today. Green’s a product of the ’90s too who grew up watching that version of the NBA. Only Draymond Green could hulk around like a ’90s NBA enforcer today.

Draymond Green takes responsibility for Charles Oakley’s misconception

Charles Oakley was not necessarily criticizing Draymond Green. He was asked if someone like the Warriors star could talk trash in the ’90s where Michael Jordan, Shaq, and Patrick Ewing would respond with manhandling and humiliation. Players didn’t exactly avoid that drama in the ’90s though today’s players have to be very careful about.

“All that trash-talking and fighting he be doing on the court, that wouldn’t fly in the ’90s,” Oak replied. “No. No. No. No. No. He’d have been just like Barkley — somebody would’ve hit him in the mouth. No, it wouldn’t have worked.”

He also took a chance to fire shots at Charles Barkley, a guy who has started too many fights on the court with trash talk. Chuck’s fed the 76ers-Knicks rivalry through trash talk, physical fights and brooms (the Knicks 1989 playoff picture with brooms still haunts Chuck). Today the same guy advices players to not be stupid and behave in a way that would get them ejected out of the court.

Draymond Green took responsibility for the NBA’s tolerance regarding in-game fights. “The game is played totally different today. I hate to say it, and I know no one really likes to admit it, but I actually played a part in that of how it’s played today, you know, if I must pop my [collar] a little bit.”

Since Oakley also said, “The ’90s style didn’t fit his game. He’s more of like a dribble-handoff guy, pin-down — everybody running, you know, pin-down for Curry, all this and that,” Green dove into his Michigan upbringing to remind everyone he knows how to take a punch. So whether it’s the ’90s or now, he’d handle it just fine.