“Charles Barkley is gonna be here till the wheels fall off”: Shaq confirms that the Sixers legend is merely talking up his retirement for the cameras, won’t leave Inside the NBA anytime soon

Shaquille O’Neal is calling the Chuckster out on his retirement declarations. The Big Aristotle says Charles Barkley won’t be retiring any time soon.

It goes without saying that Charles Barkley is the heart and soul of perhaps the best sports show on the planet. Inside the NBA has set a gold standard for sportscasting that is basically impossible to match.

Chuck’s quick-wittedness, Shaq’s goofiness, Kenny’s propensity to always be politically correct and Ernie’s penchant for stirring up discord are going to be well-nigh impossible to replace. And that’s the reason why millions of NBA fans are looking rather pensively at the ticking clock.

For the Round Mound of Rebound is now 58 years old. And he’s declared in the past that he doesn’t want to work beyond the age of 60. He’s stated outright in numerous interviews that he’s certainly not going to work at 70.

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But it seems that all of this is just a facade he’s propping up for some good-natured fun. At least, that’s what Shaquille O’Neal seems to be taking his brusque declarations as.

‘We need him and he needs us’: Shaquille O’Neal on Charles Barkley retiring from Inside the NBA

The Big Shamrock was asked to speculate about Chuck’s retirement during his appearance on this week’s Marchand and Ourand sports media podcast. Shaq professed, in no uncertain terms, that the Chuckster isn’t going anywhere for the foreseeable future:

“He’s never gonna quit,” O’Neal said. “Charles is gonna be here forever. We need him, and he needs us. I’m convinced that if I’m retired and I don’t do nothing, I will falter away. This is what we do and what we live for. It’s what we’ve been doing, and we need each other.

“We keep each other going. Look, I’ve been here 11 years. I’ve heard that spiel before, but he’s gonna be here till the wheels fall off.”

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These words are music to the ears of anyone who’s followed NBA basketball, and especially TNT’s Inside the NBA production, over the years. It is, indeed, an incomparable show, and replacing the cast might change it to something unrecognizable.