“People might think we don’t like each other” – Shaquille O’Neal admits on-court brawl started his friendship with Charles Barkley
“People might think we don’t like each other” – Shaquille O’Neal admits on-court brawl started his friendship with Charles Barkley originally appeared on Basketball Network.
On November 10, 1999, the NBA world shook when Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley threw punches at one another in an all-out brawl.
Players involved in heated clashes often carry lingering grudges, but what made this particular encounter unique was how it ultimately strengthened the bond between the two MVPs. Over the years, their rivalry evolved into camaraderie, both during their playing days and even more so afterward, as they joined the wildly popular “Inside the NBA” crew alongside Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson.
Their mothers set them right
While the details of that fight have been discussed many times, Shaq peeled the curtain back once again on that encounter, saying everything escalated when Barkley threw the ball at his head. Knowing that everyone wouldn’t let him live it down if he just let that slide, Shaq ultimately couldn’t resist retaliating.
“We were in the game, and the motherf****r hit me with the ball. We’re all from the same place, and I stop time. I’m thinking, ‘Oh, it’s Chuck.’ I already know what’s going to happen. I can’t go to the barbershop after that. I can’t have that. So I’m thinking — I’m knocking this motherf****r out. I overreach with the left. Chuck got scared and came scooping me up — boom, boom, boom,” O’Neal said.
After the two hit the showers early, having been ejected from the game, Shaq admitted he still felt heated and wanted to get a piece of Chuck after the game. However, all that animosity dissipated when the 7’1″ center picked up his phone in the locker room.
“By the time I get to the locker room, my Uncle Jerome — y’all know Uncle Jerome — hands me the phone. My mom and Charles’ mom — who’d been best friends for twenty years, which I never knew—were both on the line. They’re like, ‘Y’all cut that s**t out,'” Shaq added. “I ask, ‘Hello, who’s this?’ They go, “This your mama. And this Charles’ mama.'”
“And right there, I knew. The love we got from our mamas — that s**t was strong. I wasn’t going to disrespect my mama. And Charles wasn’t going to disrespect his mama either. You could get killed for that kind of s**t, real talk,” he continued.
Moms hung out a lot
Although “Diesel” was still steaming from the incident, he revealed that he saw Chuck in the hallway after that game. They shared a hug, laughed about it, and didn’t think much about the fight that happened an hour earlier.
Shaq shared that he witnessed firsthand the close bond between his mother and Charles’ mother when they gathered at his home.
“My mom asked, ‘Hey baby, can we borrow your house?’ My mama used to be the president of the Mothers of the NBA. So we go over, and all the top guys’ moms are there. They’re playing spades. My mom and his mom are talking s**t — the exact same thing me and Charles do,” the 2000 league MVP reported. “As I watched them, I realized — just like us, they could go crazy on each other, but they would never disrespect each other. And that’s exactly the relationship me and Charles got.”
“Do I like him? Hell yeah. I love the MF. He’s a great guy. He makes me wish I had a big brother like that. He speaks his mind. He’s going to say what he wants to say, and he truly doesn’t care what anybody thinks. People might think we don’t like each other. But the truth is, it’s just two highly qualified people going back and forth,” the legendary big man concluded.
The banter between Shaq and Chuck is a significant reason why “Inside The NBA” has become a must-watch for NBA fans. Their chemistry and dynamic on the show have been praised by viewers and critics alike, and it’s all because of its authenticity, which is rooted in rough beginnings.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
