The duo of Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal on Inside the NBA is absolute cinema. They’re easily the best in the history of sports television. Even though they are in each other’s face most of the times, there is a deep-rooted respect between the two NBA veterans. On a recent episode of The Draymond Green Show, Shaq talked about his best friend and unveiled that he looked up to him during his NBA days.
Advertisement
The host of the podcast, Draymond Green asked the big fella about his equation with Sir Charles. Shaq said, “I’m like you, I will fight you and do whatever… I never had no problems with Charles. It’s the same way you look up to me, I looked up to Charles. Charles let me know it was okay to elbow a motherf***er in the mouth. My father used to tell me; you need to be like Barkley.” Even though it all started with love, Shaq and Chuck weren’t good friends until their first big fight.
The big fella recalled the infamous on court fight he had with Barkley in Houston where Chuck threw the ball at his head and Shaq ended up throwing punches at him. Fortunately, Shaq missed the mean left hand that he fired at Barkley and couldn’t get a chance to throw a right punch as a follow up. Following the incident, the big fella received a call from his mother who informed him that Barkley’s mom was also on the line.
Surprisingly, mama Barkley and mama O’Neal were longtime friends and understandably, Sir Charles’ mom was pissed at Shaq. “Y’all stop that sh*t. I already talked to Charles. Y’all hug that sh*t out,” Shaq recalled being scolded by Barkley’s mom. To state the obvious, the two hot headed ballers made peace that day. Shaq said that even though they argue all the time on the show, there’s nothing but love and respect between them.
Charles Barkley made Shaquille O’Neal emotional with his confession
The two NBA veterans arguing on the show makes Inside the NBA a treat to watch. More importantly, the fans know that Shaq and Chuck are like brothers so it’s guaranteed that their feud will never go out of control. And for those who are unaware of that dynamic, the TNT crew makes sure to drop some hints every now and then. In 2022 when Shaq was promoting his documentary, Sir Charles gave an emotional speech about their friendship that ended up in the most wholesome hug.
Barkley said, “You are one of the most genuine people. You’re one of the most fun people that I’ve been around. Obviously, the basketball stuff is self-explanatory, I mean, you’re one of the greatest to ever do it. But I tell people, I love messing with you on the show. I will never fight your big-ass, not fair, but you’ve had an amazing life, and I’m glad to share it with you.” Shockingly, at a loss for words, Shaq walked over to Barkley and gave him a big hug as Ernie and Kenny clapped.
