“I Don’t Have Shaq’s Type of Money”: Charles Barkley Wanted to ‘Kill’ His Mom for Her Extravagant Vacations

When Charles Barkley suited up in the NBA, players earned very different contracts. Despite being a perennial All-Star and winning the league MVP, Barkley only earned $38 million from his 16-season pro career. He has subsidized those earnings with his stint at TNT but Chuck can still be frugal when it comes to money.

During the recent episode of The Steam Room, the 11-time All-Star complained to Ernie Johnson about his mother’s lavish vacations burning a hole in the wallet. Shaquille O’Neal was implicated too as Barkley’s mother would frequently travel with Shaq’s mom.

“Shaq’s mom and my mom were best friends so I had spent some time around Shaq,” Chuck began. “There’s three of ’em, there’s a lady named Ms. Martha. But, when I’d go visit my mom, they were there. And I used to want to always kill my mom because they would take like 12 vacations a year.”

However, when it came time to foot the bills, Sir Charles inevitably found himself comparing his bank account to O’Neal’s. Shaq earned an estimated $286 million as a player, which is nearly 7 times more than what Barkley could.

“I’d get the bill and I’m like, ‘Mom, I don’t have Shaq’s type of money.’ She’s like, ‘Baby, I gotta pay my share.’ I said, ‘Well, you should probably get a job then.’ They took really good vacations,” the 1993 NBA MVP said.

Barkley ended up on this tangent after a fan asked TNT’s Inside Guys if they had a relationship before becoming colleagues. The fan particularly wanted to know if Chuck and Shaq were on good terms before teaming up at Studio J.

Well, that fan should know, the terms of Barkley and O’Neal’s relationship were set by their mothers.

Shaq and Barkley’s moms forced them to make up

On November 10th, 1999, the Houston Rockets were taking on the Los Angeles Lakers. Barkley vs. O’Neal had a big draw in the opening weeks of the season. However, the matchup would nearly result in a fight after the two got tangled up in the paint.

A shove from Shaq would anger Chuck so much that he hurled the ball at the 7-footer. Soon, Diesel had Barkley’s neck in a hold as they both fell to the ground, resulting in ejections for the future Hall of Famers.

Given their competitive attitudes though, the altercation could have easily escalated if it wasn’t for the intervention of their mothers. “I’m like you,” Shaq told Draymond Green on his podcast. “I will fight you, do whatever.” Unless of course, it goes against the direct orders of Lucille O’Neal.

“The motherf****r hit me in the head with the ball. I can’t let that s**t slide. Now I gotta knock this motherf****r out… Bro, by the time I got to the motherf*****g tunnel, Uncle Jerome handed me the phone. It was my mom and Charles’ mom on the phone,” Shaq revealed.

“When it’s moms, even though I’m mad at him, I ain’t gonna be like ‘F*** your son.’ It’s ‘Yes ma’am’,” the four-time NBA champion added.

If it wasn’t for Lucille O’Neal and Charcey Glenn, Compaq Center could have been leveled by a fight between the legendary big men. Thankfully for the city of Houston, Shaq and Chuck made up and now get to channel that anger into their on-air pranks on TNT.