“Charles Barkley, I’d pick Popeye Jones before I ever pick you”: When Shaq had to be held back by Kevin Garnett after hearing Chuck pick Wilt Chamberlain over him

Shaq claims he’d pick Popeye Jones over Charles Barkley after the latter says Wilt Chamberlain is the greatest center of all time. 

The rivalry that exists between Shaq and Charles Barkley is one that has given NBA fans some of the greatest laughs they’ll ever have over the course of nearly 11 years. Their playful banter always has the possibility of escalating into a full blown argument and yet somehow, the two always manage to get in their fair share of quips. 

Shaq having won 4 championships automatically makes him the more competitive one of the duo while Chuck is usually a bit more laid back when getting into a verbal scuffle with the ‘Big Aristotle’. “Google me Chuck!” is something O’Neal has gotten quite used to saying while Barkley calling him dumb has become a part of the norm as well.

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One thing Shaquille O’Neal takes quite a bit of pride in is the fact that he’s considered to be the most dominant player in NBA history right alongside Wilt Chamberlain. However, on this particular day, he seemed to have felt a bit higher on the all-time rankings. 

Shaq and Charles Barkley get into it for the 873rd time. 

Kevin Garnett came onto ‘Inside the NBA’ during an All-Star weekend and teamed up with Shaq to go against Chuck and Kenny in an All-Star Draft. The two former Celtics were acting on behalf of Steph Curry while the two former Rockets were drafting on behalf of LeBron James. 

Before they started the actual draft segment however, Ernie hilariously showed an all-time classic clip of Charles Barkley picking Allen Iverson with the first overall pick of the Ultimate Draft they had done years ago.

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Amidst getting clowned on, he gets asked who he would’ve picked with his actual first pick to which Barkley replies with ‘Wilt Chamberlain’. His reasoning? Because Wilt was the greatest big-man of all time. 

This riles up Shaq and leads to Kevin Garnett holding him back. The 4x champ would go on to say, “[Wilt is the] 2nd greatest. The second greatest. I’d pick Popeye Jones before I pick you. I’d pick Dean Garrett before I pick you.” 

Not sure why Dean Garrett, a man who averaged 5 points and 5 rebounds, caught a random stray from Shaquille O’Neal but he did use that to prove a hilarious point.