Charles Barkley jumped on yet another opportunity to poke fun at his former NBA rival and TNT co-panelist Shaquille O’Neal after the Orlando Magic retired his jersey.
The Orlando Magic honored Shaquille O’Neal on Tuesday by making him the first player in franchise history to have his jersey retired, but Charles Barkley used O’Neal’s time in the spotlight as an opportunity to rain on his parade as usual.
O’Neal, who bullied the NBA en route to a Hall of Fame career, began his dominant tear on the Magic from 1992-1996 before donning several other jerseys afterward.
Barkley’s long-term memory kicked into high gear in his tribute video to O’Neal. Barkley hilariously questioned which of the latter’s many former teams decided to recognize him this time around.
Charles Barkley takes friendly jab at Shaq’s career
Without looking at his eye-popping numbers, one would think Shaq was a highly-favored journeyman considering the six teams he played for over the course of his 19-year career.
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Barkley always tries to gloss over the monster double-doubles and blocked shots that O’Neal allocated on Inside the NBA or elsewhere. He did so again when paying homage to his friend, as ClutchPoints shared on X.
"Congratulations! Wait a minute… Is this the Lakers, Cleveland, Miami, Suns, or Boston jersey retirement? Oh my bad, Orlando Magic!… We love you, man. It's well deserved!"Charles Barkley congratulates Shaq 😂(via @OrlandoMagic)pic.twitter.com/aC5OO9T2WU
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 13, 2024
Barkley’s ode to Shaq couldn’t have been more Barkley-esque. However, after proverbially nudging O’Neal with his elbow, Barkley showed love to his fellow NBA 75th Anniversary team member by saying:
“It’s well deserved. We’re proud of you. It’s an honor and privilege to work with you every week. We love you and congratulations on the Magic retiring your jersey.”
Barkley and O’Neal’s big-brother, little-brother relationship never fails to entertain.
