In 2023, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar sat down with Shaquille O’Neal during an NBA on TNT segment and confirmed that he once gave a cold shoulder to Charles Barkley. This happened a few months after Charles Barkley revealed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar deliberately ignored him when he first saw him. On Jimmy Kimmel Live, Charles Barkley narrated the story of how Abdul-Jabbar didn’t pay any heed to him.
Advertisement
The incident probably occurred during the 1987 All-Star Game, which marked Chuck’s first appearance in the coveted event. Before the Game, he asked fellow All-Stars Kevin McHale and Karl Malone if he could go and chat with the 6x MVP. They encouraged him to do so. Chuck went to Abdul-Jabbar and inquired, “Mr. Jabbar, Can I talk to you?”
Engrossed in a book, the 1985 Finals MVP replied, “I am reading.” When the other All-Stars saw KAJ’s reaction, they were in stitches. And so was Shaquille O’Neal who giddily recalled this tale. On NBA on TNT’s segment Tough Love: Shaq + Kareem, a delighted Shaquille O’Neal brought up this story to Abdul-Jabbar.
As soon as O’Neal mentioned the story, the 6x NBA champion started to laugh with his hands on his eyes. He confirmed the story and stated, “I was reading, I just couldn’t be bothered. Now Charles is making me pay for that.”’
Barkley’s approach to the towering Center was nothing surprising. He had won 6 MVPs and 10s of All-Star games, being a magnanimous figure in the league. As a big man, the Philly forward was just trying to have a word with one of the best big men to ever play the game. However, the voracious reader was a tough act to follow. Even O’Neal had for years felt the stoic touch of Abdul-Jabbar. Shaq wanted to prove that he deserved KAJ’s attention.
Shaquille O’Neal and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar mend their relationship
When Kareem Abdul-Jabbar decided to train Shaquille O’Neal during his LSU days, a controversy erupted. Shaq’s stepfather Philip Harrison only wanted his son to be a power jammer inside, whereas Abdul-Jabbar wanted him to add a hook shot to his game. Alluding to this tale, Abdul-Jabbar stated,
“I[Kareem] couldn’t teach you[Shaq] if you were gonna do that or take that approach, so I was frustrated because I wanted a closer relationship with you.”
AJ referred to the 1995 Finals when Hakeem Olajuwon overwhelmed Shaq and his Orlando Magic. He felt that this would have humbled O’Neal to take the next step and add to his game. The Big Aristotle did up his game when he went to the Lakers and eventually three-peated.
However, O’Neal found it strange that despite all the success, the 6x MVP wouldn’t acknowledge him. This only gave him extra fuel to make a statement. Shaq expressed, “The fact that you wouldn’t look at me, you wouldn’t talk to me, that just motivated me.”
To which Abdul-Jabbar responded, “I wanted to see you go out there and crush them. When you finally got around to it, I was smiling on the sidelines with the Lakers fans. It was wonderful to see you finally get and dominate the game as you did. You went out there and proved it to them and I was happy for you then and I kept my mouth shut.”
The Captain wanted O’Neal to harness his full potential. Instead of giving him immediate praise, he wanted him to earn his chops. After decades of silence, he finally gave the 3x Finals MVP his dues.
