Unlike His Best Friend Shaquille O?Neal, Charles Barkley Unwraps Harsh Reality That Could Comfort Team USA After FIBA World Cup Disaster

Team USA’s performance in the 2023 FIBA World Cup was massively disappointing to the fans. Even though the roster was full of young stars, they were still considered favorites. But the lack of experience on the international stage showed, and the team crashed out of the tournament with a fourth-place finish. Notably, losing the Bronze medal to Canada was the last straw for many. Multiple NBA legends gave their reaction, including Shaquille O’Neal. Amidst this, his Inside the NBA co-host Charles Barkley gave his two cents about the medals.

Similar to Team USA, Canada had stars from the NBA as well. Many even predicted a final showdown between the two for the Gold medal. However, both teams were forced to scrape for the Bronze medal and Canada came out victorious.

Charles Barkley calms things down for Team USA

Charles Barkley did not make the 1984 Olympics roster despite being the 5th overall pick that year. Led by a young Michael Jordan, Team USA, filled with non-professionals clinched the Gold medal. Barkley would get his opportunity to play for his nation in the 1992 Olympics when pros were allowed to compete.

Chuck played a huge role for the Dream Team and helped win the Gold. He was also part of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics squad that once again won the highest honors. The Hall of Famer recently talked about the two Olympic gold medals during a show. The Philadelphia 76ers legend revealed that he had given his medals to his mother and grandmother each.

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His mother advised him to insure the medals, which was when he found out the value. Barkley said, “That’s a good idea. I took it to a friend of mine who was a jeweler. He’s like, ‘How much you think these things are worth.’ [I said,] ‘I don’t know. That’s why I came to you.’ He says, ‘These things are gold plated. You probably should have won the bronze medal. It was worth more!’ It is! The Bronze medal is more expensive!”

The hosts could not stop their laughter hearing this. At a time when a lot of people are furious with Team USA’s failure in the World Cup, Barkley’s words could not have come at a better time. Unlike his buddy O’Neal, he decided to remain calm.

Shaquille O’Neal’s reaction to the loss against Germany

Shaquille O’Neal also shared his reaction to the world after Team USA lost the Semi-Final matchup against Germany. After beating the Germans in an exhibition game a few days back, many expected the Americans to win the game and reach the Final.

So the loss came as a shock to a lot of fans. The 4x NBA champion shared an image of the scoreline on Instagram with the caption, “dam gina”. Fans had a field day as they flooded the comment section.

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What are your thoughts on Barkley’s take? Let us know in the comments below.