Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal’s dynamic makes for probably the most entertaining points of Contained in the NBA. For years now, the 2 have shared laughs collectively on air and traded verbal jabs sometimes. The 2 share a kinship, although, which was established throughout their days as NBA gamers. O’Neal was just lately requested about his relationship with Barkley and had no downside sharing love for him. On the similar time, the Magic-turned-Lakers participant additionally shared a shaggy dog story involving his mom and Barkley’s mother as nicely.
It goes with out saying that the aforementioned hall-of-fame basketball veterans are each larger-than-life personalities, which makes it so entertaining every time they do conflict. Ryan Clark is conscious of the dynamic between Shaq and “Chuck” in addition to how they work together with their Inside co-hosts, Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith. Clark went on to flat-out ask if he likes Barkely. The Diesel confirmed that he does like his on-screen accomplice, who truly makes Shaq bear in mind one factor he doesn’t have:
Chuck makes me want I had a much bigger brother. I don’t know what it feels prefer to have a much bigger brother.
Regardless of that, Shaquille O’Neal went on to clarify through the interview (a portion of which is on X) that he and Charles Barkley have come to blows earlier than. O’Neal illustrated that by recalling one notably iconic in-game skirmish, which befell in 1999. On the time, Barkley was enjoying for the Houston Rockets, whereas O’Neal was with the Lakers. The brawl started after Barkley threw a ball at O’Neal, who received him with a tough foul. That’s what viewers noticed on TV, however what they didn’t see was how their mothers intervened after Shaq retaliated:
By the point I received to the locker room, my Uncle Jerome – y’all know Uncle Jerome – he palms me the mother. My mother and Charles’ mother, who’ve been finest mates for 20 years – I by no means knew – each of them [are] on the fucking telephone. [Someone said,] ‘Y’all lower that shit out.’ [I said,] ‘Whats up? Who’s this?’ ‘This your mama.’ ‘And that is Charles’ mama. Don’t you hit my child!’ So, now, the love we received for my mama… I’m not gonna disrespect my mama and rattling not gonna disrespect his mama.
The four-time NBA champion went on to say that Charles Barkley had additionally spoken to his mom by that time. So when Shaq and Barkley later met within the hallway, all they may do was chuckle in regard to the truth that they share the “mama’s boy” title. Each males have actually discovered frequent floor since then. They’ve participated in quite a few antics on Contained in the NBA to the purpose the place a viral Shaq/Barkley clip circulated when it appeared the present could be canceled. On high of that, the 2 inspire one another, with O’Neal joking that he realized he wanted to drop some weight after gaining a physique just like Barkley’s.
Put merely, there are too many nice moments between the 2 to even point out. From Shaq chastising Chuck about not understanding what it means to “slide into the DMs” to Barkley roasting the massive man for needing to make use of the toilet amid a telecast, there’s quite a lot of historical past right here. They’ve a agency relationship, which Shaq went on to completely sum up:
Do I like him? I like the motherfucker. He’s an amazing man, and he makes me say, ‘Man, if I had a giant brother, I want I had a giant brother like that.’
You’d be hard-pressed to search out two individuals who appear to have as shut a bond as Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal. As a fan of each of them, I’m hopeful that their relationship will proceed to endure. I additionally hope to see that dynamic manifest much more on Contained in the NBA, which is able to return this fall amid the 2025 TV schedule.