In the closing moments of the finale of Inside the NBA, Shaquille O’Neal revealed in his final comments his appreciation for each of his teammates on set. When addressing fellow analyst Charles Barkley, O’Neal stated that he loved Barkley “like the older brother he never had,” but would “whoop his a**” if Barkley said something to interrupt his thoughts on set at that moment.
Later, O’Neal expanded on his relationship with Barkley on The Pivot Podcast with Ryan Clark, Channing Crowder, and Fred Taylor. The basketball hall of famer explained how his relationship with Barkley dated back to their playing days, following a fight on the court in 1999 when O’Neal played for the Los Angeles Lakers and Barkley played for the Houston Rockets.
“By the time I got to the locker room, my uncle Jerome hands me the phone. My mom and Charles’ mom who’s been best friends for 20 years, I never knew,” said O’Neal. “Both of them on the phone. ‘Y’all cut that s**t out.’ Hello. Who’s this? ‘It’s your mama and this Charles’ mama, don’t you hit my baby.’”
Afterward, Shaq explained how, following the conversation with both mothers, he and Barkley were laughing about the fight. Moreover, the conversations both had with their mothers following the incident led them to “dab up” and move on.
“He’s a great guy. He makes me say, man, if I had a big brother, I wish I had a big brother like that,” noted O’Neal. “He speaks his mind. He’s going to say what he wants to say, and he doesn’t care.”
In addition, O’Neal revealed that the only reason he went to work for TNT Sports in the first place was because of his respect for Ernie Johnson. Johnson had interviewed O’Neal when he was a rising star before his run at LSU, and the now hall of famer never forgot that.
“He was nice to me. So, when it came time when ESPN wanted to offer and TNT too, I said I get to sit next to Ernie? It was like a whole special turnaround moment,” said O’Neal. “He’s a perfect man. Respectful, nice, caring, professional. It’s been an honor to sit next to him for all these years.”
Ultimately, the former NBA center wrapped the interview by saying all he’d like to be remembered by is that he was a nice guy.
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