Charles Barkley has never changed, remaining one of the most outspoken and controversial NBA analysts years after having the same reputation as a player. Barkley has not been kind in his criticism of Dwyane Wade over the years either but in some recent comments he decided to give credit to Wade and did so at the expense of another NBA legend turned analyst. Charles Barkley said that Dwyane Wade carried Shaquille O'Neal to the 2006 NBA Championship with the Miami Heat.
Charles Barkley's criticism of Shaq
This is just part of a larger ongoing feud between Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal, where Barkley refused to give Shaq any credit for any of the four NBA Championships that he won.
In a recent altercation at the analyst's booth, Barkley started to talk about how Shaq only won his NBA titles by riding the coattails of men like Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Alonzo Mourning, and Rick Fox.
Shaquille O'Neal fired back and said people wonder why Charles Barkley is even in the Hall of Fame, considering he only made it to one NBA Final in his entire career while Shaq has four rings. Shaq then called Barkley a "bum" and said he was going to punch him right in the face. The entire thing might have seemed playful, but the insults were pretty harsh and their partners at the desk seemed a bit nervous.
The 2006 Miami Heat
Shaquille O'Neal was one of the most dominant big men on the court for his entire career.
He was a perfect compliment to players like Dwyane Wade and Kobe Bryant and he was a huge reason that the Lakers and Heat won their NBA Championships. However, there is no doubt that Dwyane Wade was the powerhouse on that Miami Heat championship team.
Dwyane Wade averaged 34.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists that season.
On the other hand, Shaquille O'Neal only averaged 13.7 points with 10.2 rebounds a game, a huge step down from his heyday with the Los Angeles Lakers. Just for comparison purposes, Charles Barkley didn't make it to the NBA Finals until he went to play for the Phoenix Suns. Barkley was the MVP that season, averaging 25.6 points and 12.2 rebounds a game but his Suns lost in six to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.
Charles Barkley and Dwyane Wade
It was interesting to see Charles Barkley attacking Shaquille O'Neal by praising Dwyane Wade. Charles has been critical of the former Miami Heat superstar for years and Barkley was very critical of the Miami Heat era when LeBron James and Chris Bosh teamed up with Wade to dominate the NBA. Dwayne Wade has fired back as well, telling Barkley just two months ago that he needs to "humble" himself because he never "walked on water" after Barkley ripped into LeBron James on TV.
