Julius Erving, Shaquille O'Neal Debunk Charles Barkley's Outlandish Claim

Shandel Richardson | Sep 11, 2024

Unknown date; Philadelphia, PA, USA; FILE PHOTO; Philadelphia 76ers forward Charles Barkley (32) in action against the Chicago Bulls at the Spectrum. Mandatory Credit: Imagn Images / RVR Photos-Imagn Images

Sometimes, NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley embellishes the truth.

Go figure, right?

Shaquille O'Neal and Julius Erving recently called out Barkley for one of his tall tales. During an episode of his "The Big Podcast," O'Neal told a story of Barkley from his days with the Philadelphia 76ers in the early 1980s.

O'Neal relayed a story of Barkley saying he told Erving he was taking over the team as a rookie in 1984.

"He never said that," Erving told O'Neal.

Barkley was the No. 5 pick that season, meaning the 76ers drafted him with hopes of him eventually becoming a cornerstone player. At the time, Sixers had Erving and Moses Malone.

"He called me Mr. Erving," Erving said. "Charles didn't come in and take over because Moses was there. I was there. We had guys who are Hall of Famers, just like him, who were there before him."

In fact, there were doubts if Barkley would earn a spot in the starting lineup. The Sixers were full of talented players. They were coming off a 52-win season that ended with an upset loss to the New Jersey Nets in the first round.

"We didn't even know Charles was gonna be a starter because he had Marc Iavaroni playing ahead of him," Erving said. "And then he showed his stuff in practice."

Barkley eventually became the Sixers best player for the rest of the decade before joining the Phoenix Suns and Houston Rockets in the 1990s.

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day Hoops On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

Follow us on Facebook

X: @BackInTheDayNBA