NBA on TNT host Charles Barkley made a wild statement regarding the Los Angeles Clippers this season, which led to NBA fans having polarizing opinions about Barkley’s statement.
Lakers’ legend and fellow host Shaquille O’Neal seemed quite disappointed in his reaction to Charles Barkley’s statements, which only led to Barkley re-emphasizing his statements even more.
Charles Barkley makes bold comment on LA Clippers
Speaking on the talk show, the former Suns’ superstar and 1993 Most Valuable Player, Charles Barkley, made a very strong statement regarding the Los Angeles Clippers, suggesting that the Clippers, led by Kawhi Leonard, were the scariest team in the Western Conference.
Barkley chose the Clippers who are 22-12 this season, over former champions Denver Nuggets, the young Oklahoma City Thunder and frontrunners the Minnesota Timberwolves.
He justified his statement by saying that Kawhi was one of the best players in the world and that the Clippers were legitimate contenders if Kawhi played healthy.
Barkley said, “The scariest team in the West is the Los Angeles Clippers.” The former basketball legend was full of praise for the two-time champion Kawhi Leonard as he said, “Kawhi Leonard is amazing. If he’s healthy, he’s one of the five best basketball players in the world.”
“He is playing as well as anybody in basketball right now,” Barkley said, continuing his praise for Leonard.
However, Barkley’s compatriot, Shaquille O’Neal, did not seem too happy about the comments the former made regarding the Clippers.
Shaq, looking to pick another fun feud with Chuck suggested that the same praise was given to the Clippers the previous season, following which they failed to deliver and let down their fans.
“But you said this last time of the year as well. You said this last time of the year. It’s the same thing,” a very disappointed Shaq said in his response to Barkley as he clapped off the crew’s discussion about Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers.
While they each made their points, NBA fans were divided in their opinions regarding Shaq’s response to Barkley.
Fans in splits over Shaq’s reaction to Barkley’s comments
As Shaquille O’Neal seemed quite dissatisfied with Charles Barkley’s placing the Clippers on a pedestal, NBA fans were found to be divided in their opinion regarding the Lakers’ legend’s reaction.
Users immediately took to Twitter to support or defy Shaq’s reactions to Barkley. A fan wrote going against Shaq, “Shaq throwing a whole toddler tamper tantrum on live television just cause someone said the Clippers are good lol.”
Another fan seemed to defend Shaq’s claims as they said, “He’s right though. It’s the same thing every year around this time about the Clippers and they don’t end up going anywhere.”
Another user attacked Shaq for his statements while criticizing the Lakers’ condition. The user said, “Shaq pissed like he can do anything about the state of the lakers right now.”
Many NBA fans also seemed to agree with Charles ‘Chuck’ Barkley’s take on the Clippers. A fan wrote, “It’s true, if healthy come playoffs they are the team to watch closely. They matchup quite well with most teams and have a 3 headed monster in Harden, Kawhi and George. They are going to be tough to beat in a 7 game series if they are fully healthy!”
Another user supported Barkley saying, “He is right a healthy clippers team is so scary !!!! They possess all aspects on offense and defense .They have skill, speed , agility, IQ and experience to beat any team .They create mismatch problems especially in the backcourt.”
While NBA fans are in splits over Barkley’s take and Shaq’s response, it is going to be quite interesting to see where the Clippers finally end up this season. Under Kawhi Leonard’s and Paul George’s leadership, the team will hope to make a deep playoff run while in the quest for an NBA championship, something the duo have been far from ever since they made their way to the Clippers in 2019.
What is the Clippers’ ceiling this season? Do you agree with Shaq or with Barkley? Will the Clippers lift the coveted trophy this season? We are eager to know your thoughts and opinions, so feel free to type away in the comments below.
