Charles Barkley Used Shaquille O’Neal Throwing Punches on Him As Example To Justify Stephen A. Smith’s Statement About LeBron James

The LeBron James-Stephen A. Smith saga continues now with Charles Barkley inserting his opinion. The dialogue between the Lakers star and the ESPN analyst has transcended the sport into a personal aspect. It broke a barrier once Smith proclaimed he would’ve “swung” on LeBron if he had put his hands on him. Barkley broke his silence to provide some justification to Smith’s comments by relating it to his altercation with Shaquille O’Neal.

Barkley and O’Neal are close friends and co-hosts on ‘Inside The NBA‘. However, that wasn’t always the case. The two butt heads on multiple occasions, including a physical altercation in 1999.

The 1993 MVP made a guest appearance on ‘The Dan Patrick Show‘. They spoke upon a wide range of topics before Patrick asked the Hall-of-Fame forward if he believed Smith would have thrown a punch. He put the situation into perspective by recalling his rationale before engaging in a lopsided fight against Shaq.

“I don’t think I can beat Shaq in a fight,” Barkley proclaimed. “But when he touched me in front of 20,000 people, I’m going to swing. If a grown man touches you in front of a crowd, you 100%, even if you’re going to get your ass kicked.”

Barkley’s fight with O’Neal came at the tail end of the forward’s career. He was a shell of his former self and 35 years old. On the other hand, O’Neal was at his physical peak and only 26. If the two were to engage in a full-fledged brawl, Barkley is more than aware that he would be on the losing side. However, he has his dignity to protect.

He believes the same applies to Smith. However, he believes Smith messed up by going on Gilbert Arenas’ ‘Gil’s Arena Podcast’ and talking tough. As a result, it triggered LeBron, leading to his interview with Pat McAfee, spiralling the situation to what it is today.

By no means is LeBron exempt from any blame. Barkley doesn’t support the way the 21-time All-Star handled the situation either. He firmly believes this matter could’ve been handled much better by both parties.

Barkley accused LeBron of being a bully

LeBron hasn’t been one to send blatant shots at media figures. However, that is exactly what he did on ‘The Pat McAfee Show’. The ‘Inside The NBA’ star didn’t like LeBron’s approach, accusing him of bullying Stephen A. Smith and Brian Windhorst.

“I’ve always liked LeBron, but him being a bully, it turned me off,” Barkley said. That doesn’t mean he completely sides with Smith in this situation. He isn’t a big fan of how the NBA analyst responded. “But I will say this, Stephen A., the way he reacted, was so lame and weak.”

Charles Barkley takes issue with LeBron bullying Stephen A. Smith and Brian Windhorst

“I’ve always liked LeBron, but him being a bully, it turned me off. But I will say this, Stephen A., the way he reacted, was so lame and weak.”

( @dpshow )

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— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 28, 2025

Barkley always keeps it real and does so in this situation despite his friendship with Smith. The two will soon be co-workers as ESPN earned the rights to ‘Inside The NBA’ following TNT losing their media rights for the NBA. Perhaps Barkley’s presence may keep Smith accountable to prevent any more outbursts such as this.