Charles Barkley retired two decades ago. Shaquille O’Neal hasn’t stepped on a court in nine years.

But Mark Cuban still has something to play for.

Following criticism of the league from the Hall of Famers, who believe the NBA should cancel the 2019-20 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cuban reiterated his belief that games should resume because the players — and the country — crave them.

“I love those guys, but they’re wrong,” the Mavericks owner said of the TNT analysts during an appearance on ESPN. “I mean, guys want to play. There’s still a season to be finished out. I still think we can play a few games and then go into the playoffs, crown a champion. Let’s go. Let’s play. The country needs it too, man. We need something to cheer for. We need something to get excited about. I mean, watching cornhole on ESPN ain’t it.”

Though Barkley isn’t the only person who believes returning is “too dangerous” for the players, Cuban has confidence the NBA can finish its season more safely than other leagues because of its smaller roster sizes.

“It’s going to come down to … how it’s managed and trust,” Cuban said. “We’re going to have to do the testing, and the trust, really, is going to be between teammates. You know, the biggest challenge is – with the NBA it’s 15 guys, well 17 with two-way players. So it’s a little bit easier to keep track of everybody. And kind of the players manage each other. Because they know which guy is dying to get out and dying to go out and do the wrong thing. So the players will help keep them in line. But when you have 25 on a baseball team or 53 on a football team, that’s when it starts to get rough.”

The NBA’s board of governors held a call on Tuesday to discuss health and safety strategies. According to ESPN, several owners and team executives remain “hopeful” the season can be completed in isolated facilities, such as Las Vegas and/or Orlando.

O’Neal, a four-time NBA champion, believes the risk isn’t worth the reward.

“I think we should scrap the season. Everybody go home, get healthy, come back next year,” O’Neal told USA Today. “Just scrap the season. Just scrap it. To try and come back now and do a rush playoffs as a player? Any team that wins this year, there’s an asterisk. They’re not going to get the respect.”