There may not be a moment in history when Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley have not made the most of taking shots at one another. Looking for opportunities to strike, this playful back-and-forth between the two NBA legends is something of a source of entertainment for millions of households in the United States. Recently, Shaquille O’Neal took another such moment and went on to his social media to share a video of Charles Barkley where he claimed to have gained weight in order to avoid getting drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers.
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Making an appearance on the New Heights podcast more than six months ago, Charles Barkley revealed why he didn’t want Philly to draft him. As per his agent, Barkley was informed that the Philadelphia 76ers could only pay him $75,000.
This immediately led Barkley to state,
“Sh*t, I didn’t leave college for $75,000. I could’ve got that much in college.”
Hell-bent on not being drafted by the Sixers, Charles Barkley went on an eating binge with three days left in the draft. When Barkley and his agent arrived in Philadelphia, Barkley weighed 298 lbs, causing the 76ers owner to be furious at Sir Charles.
But as fate would have it, when the Philadephia 76ers’ pick came on board at number five, the team still went on to draft Charles Barkley. Luckily for Barkley, he ended up getting $307,000 for his first year in the league with Philly instead of the $75,000 that was informed to him by his agent.
Now, the video uploaded by Shaquille O’Neal on his Instagram Stories was, no doubt, a sly jab at Barkley, especially his weight. Shaq has often poked fun at Barkley’s weight and called him fat on live television more times than anyone could count.
Shaq puts up a Chuck story on his IG pic.twitter.com/3XVDE55kcv
— tragicpatek (@tragicpatek) January 21, 2024
So, even though the four-time NBA champion did not write any caption along with Barkley’s video on his stories, the message was clear.
Charles Barkley’s constant battle with weight loss
Charles Barkley has always dealt with gaining and losing weight throughout his life. Be it during his 16-year-long NBA career or the years after retirement when fans got to see Barkley in the role of an analyst.
Dealing with the grueling process of losing weight after gaining excess pounds, Charles Barkley once revealed the role of NBA legend Moses Malone in his weight loss journey. Malone was a big influence on Barkley and his game during his initial years in the league.
Moses Malone’s simple but efficient way of helping Barkley improve his game was to just lose weight. As Barkley kept dropping pounds, his performance on the floor automatically improved, all the while getting back in shape as well.
Barkley may have retired decades ago but his will and determination to stay in shape at his age is surely commendable. Just last year, Sir Charles revealed how he lost about 60 pounds at the age of 59. While Barkley may have been on weight loss medication, losing 60 pounds in a span of six months for a 59-year-old would catch anyone off-guard.
About to turn 60 in another month, Barkley could always decide to let go of his diet and body and just enjoy retirement. But the NBA legend is still going strong in terms of staying fit and healthy.
Kudos to Sir Charles, who may yet still be inspiring people around the world with his grit, determination, and his never-ending weight loss journey.
