You know the saying “with friends like these, who needs enemies?” Well, Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley are the perfect embodiment of that. Just days after Chuck and Shaq went at each other about weight loss and style, Shaq is out promoting the very collection that Chuck made jokes about.
If Shaq is one thing, he is the center of attention. While it’s hard to physically overlook the seven-footer, it’s even harder to not see his name in the news. Between his constant stream of investments and his penchant for quotes, he is omnipresent. This time around, he’s trying his hand at fashion.
Shaq’s XLG collection is a big and tall clothing line presented by retail magnate JC Penney. From polos to blazers to geometric ties, the apparel focuses on work wear for people who are too big to find their size in other, more typical sections of the store.
The collection launches with 122 assorted items, focusing on fun patterns and bright colors. Big and tall clothes are often defined by their drabness so it’s cool to see more options. According to the JC Penney site, the “exclusive line of big and tall clothing showcases big-time style from dressy to casual and everything in between, featuring understated patterns.”
O’Neal is also the primary model for this line. It makes sense; at 7’1 and over 325 pounds, few people embody “big and tall” like Shaq. In an Instagram video, the oversized model threw out a few one-liners like “I feel so Hollywood” and “100% chill mode.”
It’s hard to hate this. Shaq’s having fun! The comments of the post are thankful and excited to shop the collection. It seems that everyone is being pretty positive. Everyone, that is, except for Charles Barkley.
Chuck sent a message to Shaq live on air, making fun of the latter’s blazer, saying, “Tell Shaq to unbutton his jacket before he puts someone’s eye out.” Shaq responded by calling out Chuck for his use of the weight loss drug Mounjaro, which he recommended to those with a weight problem.
While Shaq’s clothing line has been planned since before Barkley made fun of him for it, the two have been going back and forth about each other’s weight for years, ever since they were teamed on Inside the NBA on TNT.
Shaq has taunted Chuck for his love for Krispy Kreme donuts and his weight in his playing days, while Charles returned the favor by calling Shaq “fat and ugly.”
The two are fast friends, despite what the characters they play on TV might imply. Who knows, maybe we’ll see Chuck rocking the XLGs sooner rather than later.
