Charles Barkley Draws Parallels Between ‘Meat Factory’ Working Grandmother and Shaquille O’Neal’s Father

While Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley have had two of the greatest careers in the NBA, they couldn’t have done it without the help of their families.

Shaq credits his stepfather for being his biggest inspiration. On the other hand, Barkley recently talked about someone from his family who was influential to him as much as Shaq’s father was to the four-time NBA champion.

Talking in an interview, Barkley once elaborated on how his grandmother helped him develop a great work ethic. Furthermore, Chuck talked about the times his grandmother acted almost like a general manager in his life.

Charles Barkley reveals what made his grandmother so influential 

There is undeniable evidence to prove that Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley are absolute legends of the game. Despite not having a ring to his name, Barkley is one of the best rebounders to date.

On the other hand, Shaq has four NBA championships to his name including other individual titles. Thanks to their achievements on the court, the two of them have been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

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But both O’Neal and Barkley are cognizant of the people who helped them reach the pinnacle of success. The latter had learned an important life value from his late grandmother.  

Chuck said, “She get the stat sheet before the coach did. She was that crazy. My grandmother was amazing because she worked at a meat factory during the day, and on the weekends, she was a cosmetologist.”

“She was a hard-working woman, she demanded hard work out of everybody. She was a no-bs person. I feel like that’s one of the reasons I have a great work ethic,” Barkley further added.

Furthermore, the 1993 NBA MVP elaborated on how his grandmother acted as a general manager sometimes. She hilariously talked to Charles Barkley regarding trading players during his time in the NBA and high school.

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Chuck also revealed how his grandmother demanded 10 rebounds per game from him. Safe to say, she would be proud of her grandson. Barkley ended his glorious career with an average of 22.1 points, 3.9 assists, and 11.7 rebounds.