Shaquille O’Neal Trolls Charles Barkley Over His Lone Finals Loss to Michael Jordan

Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal has mostly resorted to his four championships to get back at Charles Barkley.

Shaquille O’Neal Trolls Charles Barkley Over His Lone Finals Loss to Michael Jordan

Shaquille O'Neal, Michael Jordan, and Charles Barkley (Image via FirstSportz)

In Short
  • Shaquille O'Neal trolled Charles Barkley about his lone NBA Finals loss to Michael Jordan.
  • Barkley's 'guarantee' for Team USA's victory in hockey finally came true, bringing him joy on his birthday.
  • Luka Doncic claimed he would have easily outplayed Barkley in his prime, adding to the ongoing banter among players.

Whenever Inside the NBA broadcasts on ESPN, the band of Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and host Ernie Johnson use their chemistry to entertain fans.

That banter is why fans forced ESPN’s hand, and eventually, they made a deal with TNT so that the crew could continue shooting out of Studio J in Atlanta.

It has been years since this core has been together. Even though sometimes they do get frustrated with what is going on around the league and their schedules, they still know how to dip into their banter whenever they want to lighten up the mood.

Michael Jordan, send me a picture of Chuck’s lip prints on you when you busted him. Love you, Mike.

Shaquille O’Neal said

This was Diesel’s message to Michael Jordan, asking him for pictures of him humiliating Charles Barkley and his Phoenix Suns in the 1993 NBA Finals.

The conversation started with Shaquille O’Neal admitting that the only player to defeat him fair and square was the great Hakeem Olajuwon. As soon as he said this, the Round Mound of Rebound started to troll his colleague by reminding him that he was swept by the Rockets.

The latter used Kenny Smith’s memory to continue taking shots at O’Neal. At the end, the Most Dominant center in NBA history resorted to calling out Barkley’s lone trip to the Finals, where he lost to Jordan.

On the other hand, the former Lakers superstar reminded his colleague that the lessons from being beaten by Olajuwon and Smith’s Rockets fueled him to five NBA Finals, out of which he won four.

Charles Barkley finally saw his ‘Guarantee’ win

Even though he does, Shaquille O’Neal does not always have to resort to his championship wins to take shots at Charles Barkley. The latter’s ‘ guarantees’ on Inside the NBA have been a source of jokes.

Charles Barkley at a Chicago Blackhawks game
Charles Barkley at a Chicago Blackhawks game (Image via Chicago Tribune Sports/X)

Most of the time, the Hall of Famer ends up not seeing his ‘guarantee’ win, and many hockey fans were worried that the Chuckster’s latest guarantee that the Team USA men would beat Canada in the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics final would end up being another jinx.

His enthusiasm for hockey is such that, for someone who usually complains about their late working hours, he did not hesitate to wake up early enough to catch his fellow Americans in action.

Inside the NBA held a special section to remind viewers that Barkley’s ‘guarantee’ finally came through. The just-turned 63-year-old wore a USA Hockey jersey on the set and let fans know he lost his voice screaming with joy watching them win.

Unsurprisingly, Charles Barkley and Ernie Johnson were the only ones to have watched the game, as both Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith, who admittedly are not fans of the sport, caught up on the score from social media.

Luka Doncic believes he would have ‘cooked’ prime Charles Barkley

USA Hockey winning gold both in the men’s and women’s games may have been the perfect birthday present for hockey fanatic Charles Barkley. However, those in the basketball were quick to take shots at him.

I would cook him for sure. I think we would talk a lot, between us. I think it will be very fun.

Luka Doncic told ESPN

This was the Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic, who was asked how he would cook Barkley in his prime. Even though it was the former league MVP’s birthday, the Slovenian did not hesitate to troll him.

Along with what Shaquille O’Neal did, this follows a pattern where basketball folk do not mind trolling Barkley, even though it was his birthday. Especially with his reputation for constantly criticizing the Lakers, Doncic’s shot was not surprising.

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