"Y'all too legendary" - Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley were forced to be friends by their moms who warned them after a fight on national TV
Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley have a great friendship despite their heated exchanges on national television as analysts for "Inside the NBA" on TNT. The two have been friends since after their memorable fight in an NBA game in 1999.
In an appearance on the "I Am Athlete" podcast, O'Neal discussed how his mom, Lucille O'Neal, and Barkley's mother, Charcey Glenn, forced them to become friends after their fight. The two NBA legends didn't even know that their mothers were best friends.
"I was gonna whoop his a** in the back," O'Neal said. "He hit me with the ball, and I'm seizing him up. ... I'm in the locker room. I'm not going to even take a shower. I'm f**king him up when I get out of the bus. So my uncle hands me the phone, it's my mama and his mom on the line. I never knew they were friends. My mama was like, 'Y'all need to stop that, y'all too legendary.'"
Shaquille O'Neal added that despite his differences with Charles Barkley on "Inside the NBA," they will never come to blows. O'Neal noted that he has too much respect for Barkley.
Some fans are always worried that the two legends might actually fight, but the LA Lakers legend assured that it will never happen. The two have been working together on TNT since 2011 and have created some of the best moments on live television.
"Inside the NBA" host Ernie Johnson also explained the friendship between O'Neal and Barkley in an appearance on "The Dan Patrick Show" last year. Johnson revealed that the two are best friends and that he never had the feeling that things would get out of hand.
"Folks need to understand that these guys are so tight," Johnson said. "They actually are great friends. The guys love each other. Sure, it gets heated sometimes, and when you're trying to decide or defend your point, yeah, it gets a little heated. But I've never thought, 'Uh-oh, this is out of control.'"
Infamous fight betwen Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley in 1999
Before they became best friends, Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley had an on-court fight in 1999 during a game between the LA Lakers and Houston Rockets. Barkley was fouled by Brian Shaw, but O'Neal tried to block his shot before pushing him off.
The "Round Mound of Rebound" didn't like it, so he threw the ball at Shaq's head. The big man retaliated by throwing and missing a punch, allowing Barkley to take him down to the ground.
After several punches were thrown, players and officials separated the two behemoths. Both were also ejected for fighting but have become friends afterwards.
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Juan Paolo David