It’s been 23 years since Charles Barkley retired from the NBA. Getting drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1984 while being overweight didn’t stop him from being dominant in the league. He was tenacious and played with so much force that people couldn’t contain him. They gave him the nickname ‘the round mound of rebound.’ This was because of his smaller stature, while still being able to fly in for rebounds.

Barkley went up against this Los Angeles Lakers legend a lot during his time in the NBA. Following their retirement from basketball, they both ended up on ‘Inside the NBA’. They had to get together forcefully, and years later, they became best friends. Now, years later, Shaquille O’Neal is singing his praises for being one of the best players in NBA history to never win a championship.

Giving out all the praise for Charles Barkley

Shaquille O’Neal opened up about his thoughts on Charles Barkley when Barkley was announced as a member of the 75th Anniversary team. Shaq started by saying what made Charles Barkley such a great player in the NBA. He went on to mention that the term ‘size doesn’t matter’ suits Barkley perfectly.

Barkley’s prime position was power forward. But he occasionally played small forward. He also played as a center in a small-ball lineup. Power forwards and centers usually ranged in height from 6’9 to 7 feet on average. But Charles Barkley was shorter. Shaq praised Chuck by saying, “Size didn’t matter when it came to Charles” and that he never cared about anything. He didn’t care who his opponent was, nor did he care if they were bigger and faster than him. Barkley was always going to go through his opponent with sheer force, and there was nothing they could do to stop him.

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Shaq continued by saying that Barkley was extremely hard to stop in the NBA. The tenacity he played with and the force he brought to the court with each and every play cannot be done by everyone. And finally, his attitude towards the sport was also a reason why he was so great. Barkley didn’t care about money or fame and was solely focused on winning.

Mending their relationship by force

In 1999, Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley got into a fight on the court. Barkley was playing for the Houston Rockets at the time, and Shaq was playing for the Los Angeles Lakers. Following the altercation on the court, Shaq was ready to fight Barkley after the match. This was when he got a phone call from his mother. That’s when he realized that his and Barkley’s mothers were friends. She told Shaq, “Y’all need to stop that; you’re too legendary”. This made Shaq not hold any grudges and eventually become friends with Barkley.

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During Inside the NBA, the two constantly get into heated arguments with each other. This happens when they are trying to defend their point. But they have both never crossed the line and have always been great friends. Ernie Johnson has revealed that they are both close with each other, so he has never worried if they will start throwing punches on stage.

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