“I Would Never Use the Term ‘He Was Better Than Me’…”: Hall of Famer’s Dig at Charles Barkley Might’ve Upset Shaquille O’Neal and Others

An NBA player needs to reiterate to self on the idea that they may be the best in the league. This helps them lock in each game and eliminate the white noise that constantly surrounds them. However, this mindset also helps the players to understand what makes them better than the rest. Hall of Famer, Karl Malone, had a similar mindset. He opened up about the same in a podcast and while doing so, he took a dig at Charles Barkley. Moreover, his comments on the podcast could make Shaquille O’Neal upset. 

The Utah Jazz legend played in the league for almost two decades. Despite being a 14-time All-Star, Malone never bagged an NBA Championship title. However, this didn’t stop him from being one of the dominant figures in the league. With his contributions in mind, the two-time MVP spoke about what set him apart from the rest in his era. 

Karl Malone takes a dig at Charles Barkley

Malone, who is 6ft 9 inches, considers himself to be the most hardworking big man in his era. Following this, he revealed that, during his time, there were only four other players who were better than him in terms of talent. 

On the Pardon My Take podcast, He said, “I would never use the term, ‘He was better than me. More talented is different.” He claimed that Chris Weber, Derrick Coleman, and Charles Barkley had more talent than him but he was the most hardworking of them all.

Read More: After Talking to Charles Barkley’s Mother, Lucille O’Neal Admits She Blasted Disobedient Shaquille O’Neal

Malone said, “I’m going to tell you three guys that had more talent than Karl Malone — Chris Webber, Derrick Coleman, and Charles Barkley, more talent. But they didn’t outwork me.” Malone stated that his ability to outwork them and focus on his craft helped him gain an edge over the others. 

Shaquille O’Neal could be upset with Karl Malone

This dig at Barkley could prove to be upsetting for Shaquille O’Neal. Malone’s comments could be interpreted as Barkley wasn’t very hard working, and being Barkley’s close friend, Shaq wouldn’t stand for such a comment. 

The other reason could be that the Big Aristotle himself was a tall and big man who played for the majority of the time during Malone’s era. As history has seen, Shaq too was extremely hardworking. So for Malone to call himself to be the most hardworking big man. 

Watch This Story – 5 times Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal had heated fights on Inside The NBA

What do you think about Karl Malone’s comments? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.