“Charles Barkley doesn’t know what it takes to get to that next level”: Shaquille O’Neal on his constant jibes at the 1993 MVP for having zero championship rings

4x NBA champion Shaquille O’Neal gets candid about his never-ending arguments with Charles Barkley on TNT’s Inside the NBA. Shaq often disses Chuck for winning zero championships during his career.

NBA legends Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley’s playful nature makes for a great entertaining show. The two Hall of Famers often engage in endless banters and mud-slinging on the award-winning show Inside the NBA.

Both Shaq and Barkley had decorated professional basketball careers. While Shaq was one of the most dominant forces the NBA had ever seen, Barkley was a former league MVP with great rebounding skills.

During his 19 seasons in the NBA, Big Diesel won 4 NBA championships and 3 Finals MVPs. On the other hand, Barkley had only one trip to the NBA Finals during 1993 but lost to the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls.

Also read: “Today’s league is not the same as it used to be during the Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley era”: Lakers’ Shaquille O’Neal talks about how the modern-day NBA has gotten too sensitive

The two former NBA superstars have transitioned themselves into successful analysts. Their show Inside the NBA is one of the most viewed analytical basketball shows. However, Shaq and Barkley are often seen getting into heated arguments. The two are often seen at loggerheads while debating.

Shaquille O’Neal explains why he calls out Charles Barkley for having zero rings during his career.

If you’re an avid viewer of the show Inside the NBA, one is well aware of Shaq’s constant trash talk with Charles Barkley. O’Neal never shies away from taking a dig at the Phoenix veteran for having zero rings.

Barkley is often seen retaliating on the subject, stating that Shaq rode on the coattails of Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade to get himself four championship rings.

During an appearance on Conan O’Brien’s Conan Needs a Friend podcast in March 2021, O’Neal why he uses the championship card to add salt to Barkley’s wounds.

Charles is a great player, one of the top 50 greatest of all time but, he really doesn’t know what it takes to get to that next level, and that’s why I tell him, ‘You’re over here yelling and screaming, and you think your word is the law, but no, you didn’t get to the mountain top.’ Not only was I at the mountain top, but I was king of the mountain top.

O’Neal made his NBA debut in 1992, coincidentally the same year that Chuck won league MVP. Both the stalwarts met 15-times during the regular season, with Shaq having the edge over Barkley 8-7.

The two met only once during the post-season when Barkley was nearly at the flag end of his career while Shaq was at the peak of his prime. During the 1999 playoffs, the LA Lakers, led by the iconic duo of Shaq and Kobe Bryant, swept the Rockets led by an old Barkley, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Scottie Pippen.

Also read: “Ben Simmons better have Stephen Curry’s jumpshot!”: Shaquille O’Neal mocks the 76ers star while discussing the likelihood of him staying in Philadelphia past this offseason