Charles Barkley has never been one to shy away from a “back in my day” comparison — and he’s not stopping now.
During a recent appearance on “The Bill Simmons Podcast,” the NBA legend and “Inside the NBA” commentator said that he’d like to see how a current-day great would match up with an old foe of his own.
“I love Steph Curry… can you imagine if the ‘Bad Boys’ were beating the hell out of him?” Barkley asked. “Bill, can you imagine that?
“As much as I love Steph Curry, if you think that he could take those blows that John Salley, Dennis Rodman, Bill Laimbeer, those body checks that they were putting on Michael [Jordan] and Scottie [Pippen] and myself and guys like that, you really think Steph Curry wouldn’t break?”
Charles Barkley (R.) doesn’t think Steph Curry’s game would’ve held up when he played.The Bill Simmons Podcast
Barkley is no stranger to doing battle with the “Bad Boy” Pistons, who won back-to-back NBA titles in 1989 and 1990 with a trademark bruising style, punishing opponents like the Lakers and Trail Blazers in the Finals.
The forward was the No. 5 pick in the 1984 draft, spending the first eight seasons of his career in the Eastern Conference with the 76ers, where he got an up-close look at the destruction the Pistons could wreak on opposing teams.
Barkley then spent four seasons in Phoenix and Houston each, amassing 11 All-NBA selections and one MVP but famously failing to win a championship.
Dennis Rodman was just one part of the Pistons’ feared team.AP
Steph Curry is widely considered the greatest shooter of all time.AP
Curry, meanwhile, has already won four titles, including two when he paired up with Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson in Golden State.
The two-time MVP, 35, has been named to nine All-NBA teams and is coming off a season in which it looked like he hadn’t lost a step, averaging 29.4 points and 6.3 assists.
Barkley, a popular commentator on TNT, has recently said he won’t stick in the role forever.
Charles Barkley is a host for TNT’s “Inside the NBA.”Getty Images
“What’s interesting is, I can’t believe I’ve been doing this sh–t 23 years,” he continued. “That’s what’s crazy. I mean, that’s a long time. So what really keeps me up at night, to be flat-out honest with you, and I don’t know the right or the wrong answer, is when’s the best time to walk away?”
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