'Mr. Sensitive' Shaquille O'Neal once threatened to knock out Charles Barkley on live TV- "Do it again, Chuck"
Most basketball fans would agree that NBA legends Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley have some of the best chemistry on TV.
The two “Inside the NBA” hosts often go back and forth with playful banter on TNT broadcasts. Their interactions have led to countless viral comedy clips over the years. However, the two legends don’t always see eye to eye and have been known to get involved in some verbal altercations from time to time.
That includes an instance where O’Neal once got frustrated with Barkley for repeating himself too much on air:
“We should have put nine minutes. You’re gonna take up eight minutes repeating your damn self,” O’Neal said.
Barkley then fired back at O’Neal, calling the big man sensitive:
“Mr. Sensitive,” Barkley said.
Following Barkley’s comment, O’Neal then threatened to knock out his co-host on live TV:
“No, I ain’t sensitive, I’m gonna knock your ass out on national TV,” O’Neal said. “I’m telling you right now. Play me if you want to. It’s supposed to be one, two, three, not one, two, back to one with your dumb ass. Do it again, Chuck. You’re repeating yourself; you said that yesterday.”
Shaquille O’Neal reflects on threatening to knock out Charles Barkley
Many NBA fans assumed that Shaquille O’Neal was mostly joking around when he threatened to knock out Charles Barkley on Inside the NBA.
However, the big man later recounted the moment on his podcast, “The Big Podcast with Shaq,” and said otherwise. According to O’Neal, he was seriously angry with his co-host at the time, as Barkley repeating himself had become a recurring issue on the show:
“Y’all laughing, that s**t ain’t funny. I was mad that day,” O’Neal said.
He added:
“I was serious, bro. There were four people there. Chuck’s been doing that for years. Like, he’ll talk, and then as soon as I get ready to talk, it’s like, ‘Bro, you said that like 45 seconds ago, stupid.’ ‘Chris Paul is the best leader in the NBA.’ I don’t wanna hear that s**t anymore.
“Charles is the type that just because he’s loud — but I’m like, ‘Bro, that’s not right. One, two, three, not one, two, back to one.’”
However, it’s worth noting that O’Neal was able to have a laugh while rewatching the clip of his argument with Barkley. So, it seems pretty clear that there are no hard feelings between the two NBA legends.
Also Read: Charles Barkley left fuming after Shaquille O'Neal and Inside the NBA crew roasted him on national TV -"I'll hit a man with glasses"