“His Boys Tried to Jump Me”: Shaquille O’Neal Gets Real on His Rivalry With Charles Barkley

An ever-relevant name in the world of basketball, Shaquille O’Neal remains a strong advocate for how good the sport was in his era. The Los Angeles Lakers legend calls it the perfect blend of skill and much-needed physicality, which, in his view, made for a great watch. Back then, even the rivalries carried real heat.

Drafted first overall by the Orlando Magic in the 1992 Draft, Shaq went on to dominate the NBA for the next decade or so. It took him a while to win his first championship, which finally came with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000. As far as the ’90s were concerned, though, the competitive drive and spirit was unmatched, as shown by his revelation involving Charles Barkley.

On the Straight Game Podcast, Shaq shared that he has often argued with Barkley about which decade was the best for basketball. Barkley felt it was the ’80s. But to emphasize his point, Shaq had to highlight how intense the rivalries were at the time. The four-time NBA champ recalled what those close to the Round Mound of Rebound tried to do back in the day.

“We had a real rivalry,” said Shaq. “Our rivalry was so bad that his boys tried to jump me… and one of our boys at the pool, we tried to jump them. It was serious.”

It was a clear indication that the stars of the ’90s were not just ones to talk trash on the court. They carried the weight of what happened in a game off it as well. “It was serious to the point that’s how much we care,” Shaq added. “That’s how much we wanted to win…”

Barkley, unfortunately for him, never won a title before retiring from the NBA, something Shaq will always have bragging rights about. While their relationship may seem cordial today, they were not afraid to throw hands back in the day, as evidenced by a nasty brawl between the two in 1999.

How Shaq and Barkley’s relationship evolved

In 1999, Barkley, then playing for the Houston Rockets and nearing the end of his career, made a grave error by throwing a basketball at Shaq’s head during a play. Knowing how much the big fella loved physicality and thrived in the era of heated altercations, Shaq retaliated, sparking an ugly scuffle on the court.

It took the benches of both teams to separate the two, and thankfully, it did not escalate further. Shaq was fined $10,000 and Barkley was fined $5,000 following the infamous evening. Years later, when both became analysts on Inside the NBA on TNT, the clip was shown to them multiple times as a reminder of how things once were.

Fortunately, they moved on and went on to form the insightful yet comedic duo on TV that NBA fans adore. From trying to hurt each other on the court, they went on to take part in exhibition arm-wrestling challenges. It was a perfect example of how animosities can turn into friendships, given enough time.