“He Would’ve Gave It to You”: Charles Barkley Warns Shaquille O’Neal Against Speaking About Kings Star’s Dad

On a gripping Monday night, the Sacramento Kings engaged in a fierce battle for a coveted spot in the In-Season tournament’s semifinals. Despite their valiant efforts, the Kings succumbed to the New Orleans Pelicans with a final score of 117-127, relinquishing the sought-after position in the Las Vegas semis. The halftime intermission found the game in a neck-and-neck deadlock, prompting the Inside Crew to offer their insights. Or in Shaquille O’Neal’s case, he was ribbing one of the players on the team and his family. He gets to do that because he has a longstanding rivalry with Domantas Sabonis’ dad.

But his unfiltered best friend reminded him to keep it civil. Pigs must be flying because Charles “no-holds-barred” Barkley told Shaq to stay in line. Before the New Orleans Pelicans earned their ticket to the semifinals, Shaquille O’Neal was not analyzing the game. He instead, was watching Domantas Sabonis.

Sabonis showcased his prowess by leading the Kings in both rebounds and assists. However, during his 36-minute playtime, both Shaq and viewers couldn’t help but notice his animated disputes over three-second calls. O’Neal, always quick with his remarks, playfully likened Domantas to his father, the former NBA star Arvydas Sabonis, and stated, “This is bringing back flashbacks… Doing just like his daddy used to do, crying about that 3 seconds.” Shaq’s candid commentary added a touch of humor and nostalgia to the game analysis, highlighting the father-son dynamic on the court.

He admitted he always wanted to say that and argued, “Stop whinin’ and cryin’ about 3 seconds and play defense.” Shaq’s Arvydas/Domas impersonation yelling, “Three Seconds Three Seconds!” had his co-analysts in splits and Ernie Johnson declaring it the best Arvydas impersonation of all time.

However, Charles Barkley told him to keep it tame before he got into trouble. “I wish you could’ve got Sabonis in his prime. He would’ve gave it to you,” Barkley warned before reminding O’Neal it would be best not to talk about anyone’s dad. “You can’t talk about a man’s dad, that’s all I’m saying,” Chuck said.

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When O’Neal asked who’d care, Chuck quietly stated, “That’s disrespect.” But the fastest way to get your “a** whooped,” as per Sir Charles, is talking about anyone’s mom. O’Neal, who declared he would do whatever he wanted, was willing to take a shot at Mrs. Sabonis too. We don’t know how well Miss Lituainia 1988 Ingrida Mikelionyte would do against Shaq, but there’s a history between Big Diesel and her husband.

Shaquille O’Neal’s history with the Sabonis clan

Barkley may not be wrong when he said, “Sabonis in his prime would’ve gave it to you” to Shaq. Arvydas Sabonis was playing in Europe since 1981. Over a decade later, he’d come to the NBA when the Portland Trailblazers signed him in 1995. Shaq was already one of the most dominant center at the time.

When Sabonis Sr. was playing with Portland, he was pretty well-matched against prime newbie Shaq in size and strength. They had at least 21 matchups (highlights of which TNT viewers supplied during the commercial breaks to complement his Arvydas imitation) in which Sabonis averaged 10.5 points to Shaq’s 27.7. By the time O’Neal won his first championship, the European titan was slowed by injuries.

But he did give O’Neal a hard time. Similar to Shaq giving Domas a hard time after the infamous “stomp” incident. Regardless, what would you rate Shaq’s Sabonis impersonation?

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