Shaquille O’Neal Walks off Set After Charles Barkley Makes Bold Assertion

Shaquille O’Neal had to walk off the set after what Charles Barkley had to say about an NBA Player. On Inside the NBA, Barkley said that James Harden of the Brooklyn Nets is “the best 1-on-1 player I may have ever seen.” As soon as he said that, O’Neal got out of his set and walked off the set.

Kenny Smith said he was right behind O’Neal because he also thought what Barkley said was unbelievable. But O’Neal returned as soon as Ernie Johnson said they have one more segment left. Barkley made the comment before the Nets beat the Boston Celtics in their playoff series on Sunday to go up 3-1, Harden scored 17 first-half points and ended the day with 23 points, 18 assists, five rebounds, three blocks and two steals.

“Just being aggressive, not to score but just to be a playmaker,” Harden said after the game. “Credit the guys. They made shots and finished the basketball well, but our pace, our energy, our movement was very, very good. I just saw spots on the floor where I could be aggressive and when I saw somebody open to get them the ball. We made shots. I just tried to communicate, especially with guys like Bruce, where to be on the court to get him going a little bit, you play like that. I don’t know how many assists we had as a team, but play like that, 29 assists, the ball’s moving, guys are getting open shots.”

The Nets are the No. 2 team in the Eastern Conference due to the addition of Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Harden was traded to the Nets in January after spending eight and a half seasons with the Houston Rockets. Right before Harden was traded to Brooklyn, Harden talked about the issues the team has.

“We’re just not good enough — chemistry, talent-wise, just everything. And it was clear these last two games,” Haden said. “We’re not even close, honestly, to that team – obviously the defending champions – and all the other elite teams out there. I mean, you can tell the difference in these last two games.”