Michael Malone was quite ecstatic after the Game 4 win. Speaking to the press post-game, the Denver Nuggets coach said that he employed quite a strategic move to motivate his team. It was a video edit of all the ‘talking heads in the country saying how Denver was done’ for the season at the hands of the Timberwolves. Malone added that if something like that didn’t motivate guys to stay locked in, then he didn’t know what would.

However, it seems like Charles Barkley took this note quite personally. The Chuckster was arguing quite passionately, making his case to the NBA on TNT crew. But Shaquille O’Neal came to Coach Malone’s rescue. When Kenny Smith asked Shaq if he hated the analysts who talked negatively about players and teams, the Big Diesel looked at Barkley and said, “Oh yeah! I used to hate you!“

The Warriors veteran general, Draymond Green, had also joined tonight’s Tip Off crew. As an active player, he would definitely know what Coach Malone was referring to. The explosive forward has been at the crux of many controversies. As a result, he is often smack in the middle of all critics in the NBA world. Surprisingly, though, the four-time champion indirectly sided with Chuck.

Of course, this discourse didn’t end without the 11x All-Star having his say. Shaquille O’Neal, uncharacteristically, seemed to be looking for ways to end the whole shebang instead of fanning the flames. The champion asked the Phoenix legend not to get too worked up over it; instead, to view it as a compliment. ‘Sir Charles’ said, “If I got mad, he (Mike Malone) would know.” Scary. But not as scary as a certain Mr. Sensitive. Charles Barkley‘s annoyance at Malone comes nowhere close to the ire Shaquille O’Neal had for a particular sportscaster.

Shaquille O’Neal is still salty over not getting unanimous votes for MVP

If there is one thing that the Inside Crew unanimously agrees on, it is that their behemoth of a colleague is as petty as they come. Then again, it is a common understanding, we suppose. Yet, Shaquille O’Neal‘s pettiness goes far beyond anything. When Victor Wembanyama was unanimously voted as the Rookie of the Year, every single one of his crew noticed a weirdness about the big man.

When Ernie Johnson and Chuck got together in The Steam Room, the latter provided the context for the sudden yet subtle shift in his mood. “Shaq to this day, he says, ‘I got to stop hating on Fred Hickman. He, the one that didn’t vote for me.’ Like he remembers stuff like that. I was like, ‘Come on, man!’ This dude makes me laugh so much.” 

Fred Hickman, the late ESPN sportscaster, among other roles, was the subject of Shaquille O’Neal’s hate for over two decades! The reason? He did not cast his first-place MVP vote for the Lakers legend in 2000. Hickman had instead given it to Allen Iverson. Of course, the two-time scoring champion became the MVP that year, but not unanimously. He lost the honor of being the first unanimous MVP in league history by just one vote.

And that privilege went to Stephen Curry. Even Shaquille O’Neal cannot contest that Steph does not deserve to have that distinction. Hickman died in 2022, but it would seem like the 2000 MVP still has a hard time letting the slight go. As the saying goes, Time heals everything; let’s hope it does the same for Shaquille O’Neal.