Shaq and Charles Barkley have definitely had harsh words for one another throughout the years, especially as members of the Inside the NBA crew on NBA on TNT. Their feud originally started back in the 90s as they had numerous spirited matches against each other. The one everyone remembers, however, occurred all the way back in 1999, when Barkley threw a ball off of Shaq's head. In the aftermath, the two ended up wrestling each other to the ground, in a now-iconic moment in NBA history.
During an appearance on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon, Shaq explained the backstory behind the fight and how his mom, as well as Barkley's mom, got on the phone with him and told them to stop fighting.
“So on a two-way call was my mom and Charles Barkley’s mom,” O'Neal said. “And I was like, ‘Hello?’ and she’s like, ‘This is Charles’ mom and your mom’s on the phone too,' I was like, ‘Yes ma’am, how are you?’ She said, ‘Y’all need to stop. I already talked to Charles. He’s gonna meet you in the hallway. Y’all need to stop and hug. Y’all are two of the greatest players in the world, we don’t want y’all fighting in front of the kids, y’all stop that.'”
In the end, the physical altercations came to a stop but the war of words continued. Considering these two were ultimate competitors, it's not surprising.
[Via]