While there are a handful of superstar pairings in the NBA, very few hold a candle to the tandem on TNT's Inside the NBA. Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal have become the NBA's dynamic analyst duo with their hot takes and no-holds-barred commentary.
However, Barkley has recently spoken out on the potential expiration date on his partnership with Shaq. A few months back, Chuck made an appearance on 106.7 The Fan in Washington D.C. and he expressed his exasperation with today's PC culture – and how he's growing tired of it. Tired enough that he's planning to retire at the age of 60, which is less than two years away.
Via Jimmy Traina of Sports Illustrated:
“You can’t even have fun nowadays without these characters trying to get you canceled and things like that. … I’m trying to hang on for another couple of years until I’m 60 and then they can kiss my ass. I’m only working until 60. I’ve already told them that. I’m not working until the day I die. That’s just stupid. And if I don’t have enough money by now, I’m an idiot, anyway. They should fire me, anyway.”




But according to Shaq in a recent interview on the Marchand and Ourand podcast, Charles Barkley is bluffing with his talk of retirement. The Big Diesel claims that that there's no chance of the two-year plan coming to fruition simply because it's what they both wake up for in the morning.
Via Ryan Glasspiegel of The New York Post:
“He’s never gonna quit,” Shaq said. “Charles is gonna be here forever. We need him, and he needs us. I’m convinced that if I’m retired and I don’t do nothing, I will falter away. This is what we do and what we live for. It’s what we’ve been doing, and we need each other.
“We keep each other going. Look, I’ve been here 11 years. I’ve heard that spiel before, but he’s gonna be here till the wheels fall off.”
Leave it to Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal to trade verbal blows even on each other's retirement. With Charles Barkley turning 59 in February, it won't be long before we find out if he's serious about his plans to hang it up. If he does, he'll be leaving some massive shoes to fill, both literally and figuratively