It’s nothing new to hear or see NBA legends Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley taking subtle jabs at one another. The two former big men do it weekly on “Inside The NBA” on TNT. At times things get so heated that co-host Ernie Johnson and Kenny “The Jet” Smith often have to intervene. While things didn’t escalate that far following the conclusion of Thursday’s Los Angeles Lakers versus Milwaukee Bucks and Golden State Warriors versus Sacramento Kings matchup, it still packed some heat.
Stephen Curry Becomes First Player In History With 4,000 Three-Pointers
As the two NBA legends debated where Warriors superstar Steph Curry, who in Thursday’s win became the first player to reach 4,000 career three-pointers stands in the pantheon of all-time greats. The exchange turned personal as it usually does with these two. It was Barkley who threw the first verbal punch, and while his opinion could have some merit, it was definitely a cheap shot.
Charles Barkley Calls Shaq The Third-Best Lakers Center After Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
In an attempt to rile up Shaq, Barkley who knows better than anyone what makes the four-time NBA champion tick spewed this:
“You’re like the third-best Lakers center ever, I think.”
To which O’Neal quickly responded, “That’s fine. I can deal with that.”
That’s Shaq, who, despite his own legendary status, never forgets those that came before him. Barkley took things even farther touting Shaq’s longtime nemesis Dwight Howard as better as well.
“Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] and Wilt [Chamberlain are better],” Barkley continued. “You’re like the second-best Orlando Magic center after Dwight [Howard].”
Shaq Strikes Back At Barkley, Flashing His Four NBA Championship Rings
As he always does in these arguments with Barkley, Shaq resorted to rings, something Barkley was never able to win.
“Hey, but I’ve got more rings than you and [Dwight Howard] combined,” O’Neal retorted. “And Wilt. I’ve got more rings than all of y’all.”
Just another typical Thursday night on TNT with two of the biggest personalities in sports media having their weekly verbal squabble.
Duo Raking In Big Bucks
As the “Inside The NBA” show prepares to move to ESPN beginning next year, Shaq and Barkley are locked in to pretty nice deals. Sir Charles, the 1993 NBA MVP, is raking in a cool $21 million per year on a deal he agreed to in 2022. He spurned offers from NBC and Amazon to stay at TNT.
O’Neal, who’s arguably the most dominant big man ever to play the game, signed an extension in February that’ll pay him $15 million per year.
