"Don't wanna be Black and poor": Charles Barkley hysterically backs off as Shaquille O'Neal proposes $30 million bet

Charles Barkley is known for his love of gambling but hysterically backed off from Shaquille O'Neal's bet on Tuesday night. Barkley and O'Neal had different picks for the LA Lakers-Phoenix Suns matchup in the 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament quarterfinals.

O'Neal had his Lakers winning by 15 points, but Barkley disagreed and thought that his Suns could pull off the victory at the Crypto.com Arena. "The Round Mound of Rebound" wanted to bet $15 million on Phoenix.

Shaq countered with a $30 million bet, which was immediately turned down by Barkley, who has a reported net worth of $60 million and signed a nine-digit extension with Turner Sports last year:

"30 (million)? I don't want to be Black and poor again," Barkley said.

Ernie Johnson then proposed a much cheaper bet for Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley.

Johnson asked if they could just have a slap bet, with Barkley confident that UFC president Dana White would help them set it up. White introduced "Power Slap," a slap-fighting competition, last year.

O'Neal was even open to going second, with Barkley confident about knocking the big man down with one slap:

"As long as I get to go first, 'cause you know you're soft," Barkley said. "Once I hit you, you're gonna drop like a sack of potatoes."

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Charles Barkley once compared gambling to weed use

Charles Barkley of 'Inside the NBA' on TNT

Charles Barkley has always been open about his gambling problem, which has cost him millions of dollars over the years.

Barkley once compared gambling to pot use and thought that sports betting should have been legal years ago:

"It should have been legal a long time ago, but I feel the same way about gambling I do about pot," Barkley said on "The Dan Patrick Show" in 2018.

"I don't smoke pot. I've smoked pot maybe five times in my life and all it did was make me want to eat potato chips, so, I don't. Now they've got legal pot everywhere. It's not going to make me go out and start smoking it. I feel the same way about gambling."

Barkley changed his tune three years later when he told the Philadelphia Inquirer that there's "too much" gambling. However, the Hall of Famer admitted that he continues to bet on sports, which is a difficult habit for him to get rid of.

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