Charles Barkley’s Misfortune Brings Draymond Green & Shaq Closer as Warriors Star Makes Emotional TNT Confession

Not every side gig feels like work—some feel like home. For Draymond Green, moonlighting at Inside the NBA is more than a paycheck. It’s a playground. A place where his love for the game meets the joy of conversation. One moment, he’s breaking down plays with sharp insight. Next, he’s trading jabs with Shaquille O’Neal and chuckling at Charles Barkley‘s comebacks. It’s part basketball school, part comedy hour. And somehow, it all works.

There are no secrets when it comes to Shaq and Chuck’s relationship. As much as they enjoy arguing with each other, their moments of hilarious back-and-forth never bore the crowd. And when Draymond Green joins the mix? Chaotic! So, the Warriors star and O’Neal have a special way of greeting each other: the four-ring handshake. Both superstars use the back of their palms, making a four with their fingers and doing a handshake. Meanwhile, Shaq does something with Kenny Smith, but with Charles Barkley, he has nothing much to do. Zero rings you see!

Thus, it’s a question of curiosity to know how the four-ring handshake originated. And Baron Davis just did that at the Draymond Green Show. “Oh man, it just kind of—so Shaq be up to it. There was always the pick-on-Charles moments up there. It’s so fun picking on Charles. Chuck’s such a good sport about everything and funny as hell. He gets crazy comebacks. So it’s just always ongoing,” the Golden State Warriors veteran shared.

“Shaq goes around, ‘I got four rings.’ One of my first couple of times on the set, he asked Kenny, ‘How many rings you got?’ Kenny got two rings. ‘Dray, how many rings you got?’ I got four. I had three, but then I ended up getting four,” Draymond continued. So in 2022, when the 35-year-old forward first appeared on TNT’s set, he had three rings, but he predicted a fourth that eventually turned to reality.

“He [Shaq]’s like, ‘Four,’ and we do the bump. Kenny does it too. Charles—we ain’t gonna talk too much. So that’s just how it kind of came about. Me and Shaq throwing up our fours, and boom—that’s our thing. Four rings. It’s always fun getting at Chuck. Chuck—one of the best, though,” Draymond Green concluded. Simply put, Shaquille O’Neal and Green’s four-ring handshake is a plain taunt at Charles Barkley‘s no-ring record. However, it’s all in good spirit and heartfelt moments.

Meanwhile, as TNT’s tenure at the NBA is coming to an end this year, Draymond Green couldn’t help but feel the emotions flow in his system. Thus, he made a beautiful confession about his experience with the legends of Inside the NBA.

Draymond Green’s heartfelt words for TNT’s Inside the NBA team

The Pacers stole the spotlight at Madison Square Garden, grabbing a gritty 114 to 109 win and a 2 to 0 lead in the East Finals. But behind the scenes, emotions ran high. TNT aired its final playoff broadcast, wrapping up a legendary run. Draymond Green, guest analyst for Game 2, revealed he won’t travel to Indiana for Games 3 and 4. Thus, the farewell has begun.

Now, letting his emotions take charge again during his podcast, Draymond thanked and congratulated the TNT crew. He shared an emotional confession and said, “I’ve been so fortunate to be around those guys, talk basketball with those guys. I’m extremely grateful—TNT, Craig Barry, Tara August—who was there when I first came on.” In that bittersweet moment last week, Green seized the chance to tip his hat to Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Ernie Johnson, and the entire Inside the NBA family with a message straight from the heart.

“I just wanted to thank you guys for having me,” Green said. “What y’all have meant, TNT has been incredible. I think so many guys get mad when y’all say something just because it means so much. And your opinions, everybody take it to heart. It’s been special to be a small part of this when y’all allowed me to. Y’all had a great run at TNT. Congratulations.”  

Some goodbyes leave a lump in the throat and a smile on the face. As the curtain falls on TNT’s playoff run, Draymond Green’s tribute says it all. From four-ring handshakes to late-night laughs, the memories run deep. But more than anything, it’s the love for the game—and each other—that will echo long after the lights fade.