Shaquille O’Neal targets Charles Barkley. Image via: Getty Images
He graduated alongside 265 law enforcement officials at the FBI National Academy’s Session 299 in Quantico, Virginia, then closed his speech with a warning aimed squarely at his longtime broadcast partner. O’Neal turned the moment into a shot at Charles Barkley , the co-host he has jabbed at on Inside the NBA since 2011, telling the room what to do if they ever ran into him. Orlando drafted him first overall in 1992, and he spent 19 seasons across six teams, winning three titles with the Lakers and one with the Heat, taking home MVP honors in 2000 and making 15 All-Star teams before his 2016 Hall of Fame induction.
“If you see Charles Barkley, arrest him,” he said, in video shared by Legion Hoops as he wrapped his remarks Thursday. Shaquille O’Neal picked up an honorary FBI special agent title, and the four-time NBA champion wasted no time putting it to use. FBI Director Kash Patel handed O’Neal the recognition once the ten-week program wrapped. Shaquille O’Neal’s parting line was simple. The crowd of graduating officers, all veterans of their own departments, got the joke instantly given O’Neal and Barkley’s decade-plus history of ribbing each other on air. But the badge, honorary or not, fits a pattern he has kept up since long before Inside the NBA made him a household name twice over.