“I love messing with him and I just keep turning and turning and I can just see the vein in his forehead every time…” These were Charles Barkley’s words on Shaquille O’Neal some seven to eight years back. Surprisingly, they even once got into a slight brawl (still good friends). Back in 1999, during the Houston Rockets’ matchup against the Lakers, Shaq ended up punching Chuck. While the former had to pay a tear-jerking $10,000, the latter was fined $5,000. Both were suspended for one game without pay. Shocking? No, the man has had heated debates in the TNT studio again. So, is Ernie Johnson, who sits between the two on TNT, always tense, fearing that history might repeat itself?

However, Ernie isn’t scared. He is more than confident that such a thing would never happen. He even added that, as former NBA players, the trio, including Kenny Smith, are well aware that they all have different opinions. “I said no! These guys are tight, their moms were tight, their families were tight. No but, here’s the deal. They realize that everybody on that show comes at the game from a different angle…,” Ernie Johnson said. 

He further added, “Shaq is going to give you ‘the big man got to give you 30 and 15 you know (Shaq talks about big players having dominant games) that’s his solution to everything and then Charles and Kenny will point out ‘look you were Shaq you were okay you can do that but not everybody is you.’ ‘Doesn’t matter’ (Ernie impersonating Shaq) and so I think because of that you can have these differences of opinion.”

Speaking of differing opinions as Ernie mentioned, just a few weeks ago, the two argued over coaches. Shaq, who has played under elite NBA coaches like Phil Jackson and Pat Riley, feels that coaches aren’t important to the game. He believes players do the ultimate job, while Chuck highly appreciates a coach’s role.

Fans who watch the duo have at least once feared that they might come to blows. Luckily, that has never happened—at least in the TNT studio. Well, the brawl mentioned earlier was very real. The Philadelphia 76ers legend was going for a layup when Brian Shaw fouled him and Shaq blocked him as the foul was being called. That’s when the brawl broke out—Shaq threw a punch while Chuck threw a basketball on Shaq’s face.

And there’s a saying such as history repeats itself. However, this rule might not apply to Shaq and Chuck, thanks to their mothers, who are best friends. So be rest assured, there’s less chance of Ernie Johnson getting squeezed.

Lucille O’Neal and Charcey Glenn ensured that the two never fought again!

What both former NBA players didn’t know was that their mothers were good friends!c And as soon as the two mothers saw their sons in a brawl, they knew they had to step in. Both O’Neal and Chuck received calls and suggested they reconcile immediately. O’Neal confirmed this during his appearance on I Am Athlete.

“Y’all need to stop that, y’all too legendary,” the Los Angeles Lakers legend recalled what his mother said. Well, the two did reconcile and have had a strong bond since then. The two mothers also shared a deep bond. When the Philadelphia 76ers legend’s mother was suffering from kidney failure, O’Neal’s mother spent a lot of time with her to show her support. 

“When my mom was dying, Shaq’s mom and Miss Martha spent all their time with my mom in her last few days, this is how close they were, there were best friends for 30 years,” Chuck once said. In 2015, Ms. Glenn passed away at the age of 73. It was heartbreaking for the family as well as her friend. With a bond such deep between their mothers, it is understandable why Johnson is confident that the connection between Chuck and Shaq is fit.