Charles Barkley has a hierarchy of feuds, starting from rivals like San Antonio, ESPN figures such as Stephen A. Smith and Kendrick Perkins, and at the top, Shaquille O’Neal and Dan LeBatard’s father, Papi LeBatard. Among these, Shaq has been his main target. Barkley’s playful yet intense rivalry with Shaq escalated when Dana White appeared on his show and proposed a fight.
Meanwhile, Barkley jokingly—or perhaps seriously—expressed his desire to fight Dan LeBatard’s elderly father, which he announced while Dan was hosting his own show.
Barkley’s relationship with the LeBatard family is long-standing, and he has a history of spending time with them. Despite his fondness for Dan’s mother, Barkley seems intent on the idea of fighting Dan’s 80-year-old father, Gonzalo LeBatard, and wants to do so on a public platform.
His light-hearted yet pointed comments included a request to Dana White to arrange an MMA fight, showcasing his desire to make this bizarre challenge a reality. Despite Dan’s discomfort, Barkley appeared quite serious about his idea.
The idea of Barkley fighting Papi LeBatard on pay-per-view led to a mix of awkwardness and amusement, but Barkley’s threats weren’t completely out of character. Their feud traces back eight years when Papi called Barkley “chicken” for avoiding a fight with Draymond Green.
Barkley responded with a threat to punch Papi in the face if he continued to call him a chicken on TV. The long-standing tension reveals that Barkley views the LeBatard family as a relatively easy target compared to his other rivals.
While Barkley jokes about fighting Papi, Shaquille O’Neal has seriously challenged him to a fight. On an episode of “The Big Podcast,” Shaq announced a match against Barkley for September 19th, even threatening to “slap the heck out of him.”
Dana White seemed enthusiastic about the idea of Barkley facing Shaq, and even proposed scheduling a Power Slap tournament, where Barkley claimed he would drop Shaq “like a sack of potatoes.” Despite all the tough talk, Barkley has yet to directly respond to Shaq’s challenge.
The rivalry between Barkley and Shaq has continued for years, with Barkley often talking a big game but not following through on these challenges.
As Dana White expressed his willingness to set up a fight, the anticipation grows for whether Barkley will actually face Shaq in a publicized match or if the playful taunts will continue without resolution. For now, Barkley remains focused on less formidable opponents like Papi LeBatard, while Shaq waits for a more serious confrontation.
