Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley are arguably the most lovable duo in sports television. The two former legends of the game are always bickering on their show, Inside The NBA. It’s all in good fun though, they’re clearly quite fond of one another no matter how much Barkley might roast Shaq or how much Shaq might threaten to punch Barkley in the face.
Their constant banter and chemistry are what makes them so entertaining to watch, and on the occasion of O’Neal’s 50th birthday, Barkley gave him a surprise that was as hilarious as it was unexpected. Chuck sang and wished Shaq a happy birthday alongside a recording of international musical icon Adele singing the song at a concert.
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Even though Charles’ singing is not exactly something one can describe as pleasant, the legend clearly had a lot of fun doing so and was even thanked by Shaq for the effort he put into singing. A comparison to Adele was perhaps unnecessary because all it really did was show just how much fine-tuning Barkley’s singing prowess will need if he is ever to perform music in public again.
Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley infamously had some altercations during their playing days and if you had told them this would be happening one day right after Barkley threw a basketball at O’Neal’s head during a game, then neither would likely have believed you.
Their continued partnership has been excellent for the NBA though, there are very few shows on television that can boast a pairing like Shaq and Chuck, and they’ve won multiple Emmys together with Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith. It’s unlikely that Barkley’s singing will have been O’Neal’s favorite gift from his 50th birthday, but it did give everyone watching a lot of laughs, and possibly the urge to cover up their ears.
