Shaquille O’Neal recently revealed why he and Charles Barkley have been forced to establish a friendship and good relationship over the past several years. As most NBA fans should be aware, Shaq and Barkley are former NBA stars who retired from their careers more than a decade ago. However, they have been associated with each other and can even be considered colleagues due to the fact that they are part of the cast on Inside the NBA.
During a recent podcast alongside Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green, Shaquille O’Neal discussed an altercation with Barkley that occurred while they were playing in the league. Moreover, O’Neal also spoke on how their mothers managed to destroy any sense of animosity between the two of them. Since this is certainly a topic that would interest NBA fans, a closer look is required.
Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley’s mothers were best friends
While attending Draymond Green’s podcast, Shaq was questioned about his relationship with Barkley. He recalled a time where he and Barkley got into a fight on the court after Chuck threw a ball at him. Although it would be perfectly natural for Shaq to bear a grudge following this decision, one phone call forced him to change his whole attitude towards the situation.
“By the time I got to the mot*erfu**ing tunnel, Uncle Jerome handed me the phone…It was my mom and Charles’ mom on the phone. They were like y’all should be doing this. And I’m like who’s this? Shaq this is Charles’ mom. So you know when it’s moms even though I’m mad at him…It’s going to be like Yes mam? Y’all stop that sh*t. I done already talked to Charles Y’all hug that sh*t out.”
One can only imagine the emotions that Shaq felt upon hearing that his mother had a close relationship with Charles’ mother. He made peace with Barkley out of respect for their parents and began a bond that still exists at this point in time.
Shaq on his time with Inside the NBA
Shaquille O’Neal had an ample amount of time to discuss various issues when on Draymond Green’s podcast. He even discussed his time with Inside the NBA and his decade long career as a sports analyst. Since Shaq had never been on air prior to joining the crew, he was initially unsure on how to present himself and behave alongside the rest.
However, O’Neal soon learned that all he had to do was be himself. Since he was around other NBA stars such as Charles Barkley, the show captivated basketball fans from across the world. Unfortunately, it is not expected to continue heading into next season.