There were no players who dared go face-to-face with Los Angeles Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal back in his playing career, but his longtime friend Charles Barkley had the audacity to confront him physically.
The duo is more popular for being friends than rivals these days, but the scene was upside down when they were both players. Like any other professionals, Shaquille and Charles appeared in a standoff once, and the aftermath wasn’t something we anticipated.
Recently, in an interview, the Lakers star remembered the vintage days and shared the story with fans.
What happened between Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley?
In the late 1990s, the duo faced each other once during a game between the Houston Rockets and Lakers. In the most recent episode of ‘I Am Athlete,’ the 51-year-old described the incident.
“Me and Charles, sometimes it looks like we are about to go to blows, but that will never happen because I respect Charles. And the first time we had an altercation was crazy,” the 7.1-footer said. “So I was going to whoop his a*s in the back, no, seriously. Cause he hit me with a ball, and I’m sizing him up, and I’m like, ‘I hate to do this, but I’m going to have to knock out a legend.'”
The 11-time all-star was at the end of his career with the Rockets, and the Lakers center was just rising to be a future star. However, there was one more twist to go in that incident: the legends’ mothers were best friends, and they broke up the row that time.
“So I’m in a locker room; I’m not even going to take a shower; I’m going to fu*#* him up when we get out to the bus,” O’Neal continued. “My uncle hands me the phone; it’s my mom and his mom on a line. I never knew they were friends.”
“My momma was like, ‘Y’all need to stop that, two legends. Charles’ is on the way down there, you give her a hug, and y’all let it go.’ I can’t disobey my mom,” the four-time NBA champion concluded.
After that phone call, the 6.6-foot forward embraced the big Shaq and recognized him as a brother. Since then, respect, brotherhood, and friendship have continued to this day. All the mockery, roasting, and pinching were just another way to show love for each other.
