In the eternal war between NBA eras, Charles Oakley just threw a grenade, and Draymond Green was happy to throw it right back. The timing made it sting, too. As fans praised Green for locking up Victor Wembanyama on Wednesday, Oakley went on Art of Dialogue to question how soft today’s generation is, and Dray for sure is a misfit to the 90s. So, for a player like Dray who has built a career on confrontation, silence was never an option.

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

While Oak and 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 Green said this, the Warriors’ standings in the NBA Cup Group Stage were jeopardized after losing to Nikola Jokic’s Nuggets in Game 1. They then beat the Spurs, where Green was a bullheaded defender against Wemby. Again, they beat the Spurs in the second round of group play on Friday night.

Wemby posterized Green, and the thoroughly mismatched bigs getting into a stare-down was the highlight of the game. Even the Spurs bench was shocked by Wemby literally getting in Dray’s face. Most observed how Green’s persistence across two games caused 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

“Ain’t no tough guys in the league; these 7 footers in the league they all soft. He would be just like Barkley, Somebody would of hit him in his mouth.” That hurts, but again, Charles Oakley was not necessarily criticizing Draymond Green. He was asked if someone like the Warriors star could talk trash in the ’90s, when 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 man who has started too many fights on the court with trash talk. Chuck 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 gentleman is advising players not to be stupid and avoid behavior that would get them ejected from the court.

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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.