When Charles Barkley put Shaquille O'Neal's real height to the test: All you need to know
Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal are known for their playful banter. Alongside Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson, the NBA Hall of Famers have made Inside the NBA the most popular basketball show on the planet.
During the 2020 NBA season, Barkley and the rest of the crew tested O'Neal's height, comparing him to the Houston Rockets' starting lineup, all of whom were 6'7 or shorter.
Johnson initially claimed that the LA Lakers legend could be 7'1 1/2 or 7'2, prompting Barkley to claim:
"He's not 7'2. Stop it... He's right there [next to the 7'0 mark]. That's just a knot, that's not head, he's 6'11 3/4."
While O'Neal was clearly above the line, his fellow Hall of Famer did not want to give him credit as a seven-footer. Ironically, Barkley, who stood at 6'4 throughout his playing career, was listed two inches taller at 6'6.
The Rockets lineup consisted of five starters all 6'7 and under after trading center Clint Capela earlier in the season. The experiment did not wind up working out as Houston was unceremoniously bounced from the postseason in the second round, losing their series against the LA Lakers in five games.
Watch the full clip of the Inside the NBA crew measuring Shaquille O'Neal's height below:
Chuck isn’t convinced about @SHAQ’s height 😂 https://t.co/sgUFu0IvkA
Shaquille O'Neal's son compares his height with him
Charles Barkley wasn't the last person to accuse Shaquille O'Neal of being shorter than his listed height of 7'1. The NBA Hall of Famer's son, Shareef O'Neal, who currently plays for the G League Ignite, sent out a now-deleted tweet earlier this year. He shared photos of himself and his father and stated:
"Either I'm not 6'10 or he's not 7'1"
O'Neal responded jokingly, stating:
"Secrets out, I'm 5'11"
Check out the back and forth between Shaquille O'Neal and his son below:
Cat's out the bag 😂
@SSJreef | @SHAQ https://t.co/oZ6rUSwjmM
While the younger O'Neal looks as if he could be his father's height, or even taller, in the above photo, it is important to note that the length of his hair adds inches to his height. Furthermore, his proximity to the camera likely makes him appear taller.
Despite the constant speculation surrounding O'Neal's height, the test given on Inside the NBA proved that the Hall of Famer is his listed career height. There will likely continue to be accusations that the 1999-2000 NBA MVP is not actually 7'1, however, as O'Neal is often the target of playful banter.