Charles Barkley seems to reserve all of his very best roasts for his dear rival-turned-friend Shaq. This instance is just one of several hundred.
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It’s always been a pleasure watching Inside the NBA, but some episodes are better than the others. The instances when Ernie and Kenny instigate some sort of shenanigans between Chuck and Shaq doubtless belong in the realm of peak TV.
Shaq tries to be the goofy guy on the Inside the NBA sets, but much of his humor seems to be forced and unnatural. That, however, is not the case at all with our dear Chuckster.
Barkley, first of all, is no stranger to wars of words. He’s probably been talking trash to everyone around him all his life. Tales told by his former teammates and rivals seem to back this notion up.
There’s never a conversation between Chuck and Shaq when you might feel the former is in threat of being ridiculed. Shaq simply does not have the quick wit and quicksilver tongue that Chuck’s blessed with.
“Shaq, you’re one divorce away from being black”: When Charles Barkley roasted the Lakers legend
One of the best instances of Chuck simply emasculating Shaquille O’Neal with his words came around the 2020 All-Star weekend. The panel had a gala time on the night as Ernie and Shaq got some nice gifts from Kenny the Jet.
Chuck was conspicuously excluded from these festivities and made to stand watching as Kenny unwrapped gift after gift. Perhaps the first 10 seconds of this were all that he needed to go off on Shaq. So when the segment turned to one of Shaq’s 20 homes in Bell Canyon, Chuck didn’t hold back:
“Are you even there enough for you to justify a house? You just have too much money! You’re just one more divorce away from being just black!”
