Ever since the Bleacher Report posted a compilation video of NBA greats Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal on their official X handle (formerly known as Twitter), NBA fans are going insane, amused by the hilarious moments of the analysts in the TNT studio.

Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley go viral

Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley (Image Source: X/Bleacher Report, NBA on TNT)

The video highlights the time when O’Neal hilariously struggled to knock Barkley flat on the studio ground while he got on top for a wrestling pin count. Shaq and Chuck, with their shenanigans, know how to increase the show’s ratings and have done that for years now.

Apart from their humorous physical interactions, the clip of their heated argument was also shown when Shaq said, “You don’t wanna mess around Chuck… You have no idea what you’re talking about because you’ve only been to the finals once.” To this Barkley replied, “I wasn’t riding Dwyane Wade and Kobe’s coattail.” But there was no stopping the 4-time champion, who responded by saying, “People question why you’re in the Hall of Fame anyway.”

As the video quickly circulated in the social media circle of the NBA lovers, they couldn’t hold themselves back from reacting to it. Here’s what they said on X:

The show was hosted by sportscaster Ernie Johnson who joined in 1990, eight years after that former NBA player Kenny Smith came on board, Barkley joined in 2000 while Shaq was added in 2011 to complete the crew. However, after a long run, there is a possibility of the charismatic crew splitting up.

Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley May Split Up

For decades TNT has brought the NBA games into the living rooms of hoop lovers through their television broadcast, however, with their contract ending in the 2024-25 season, Charles Barkley might end up splitting from the other three.

During an interview with 850 ESPN Cleveland two weeks ago, Barkley, who signed a 10-year deal in 2022, stated, “One of the things I did was I put an opt-out in a couple years because I wanted to cover my a** when it comes to this situation,” referring to the deal end.


Sir Charles admitted that he loves TNT but he also wanted to ensure that he becomes a free agent if they don’t get the NBA rights. Amazon Prime and ESPN are reportedly trying to make a deal to be one of the broadcasting partners in the regular season. With the business decisions still on hold, only time will tell whether the duo, O’Neal and Barkley, would split up or not.