Shaq still owes Charles Barkley $10,000 over ‘spectacular’ bet

Shaquille O'Neal still owes Charles Barkley $10,000 over their ‘spectacular’ bet.

The two basketball legends were recently part of the punditry team on Inside The NBA, discussing the current goings on in the sport.

And during their appearance, big Shaq decided to have a bit of a laugh and a joke with his fellow Hall of Fame star, as only a fellow great of the game probably could.

Taking the opportunity to embarrass him on TV, the 50-year-old made a huge bet, which hinged on Barkley's spelling abilities.

Discussing some of the athletic skill they had just witnessed, Barkley said: "These two games tonight have been spectacular."

Now, on the face of it, that's a pretty benign statement; there's nothing really there to cause much controversy.

However, Shaq saw an opportunity to get one over on his old mate.

Jumping in, the former Miami Heat player said: "Spell it. Spell it."

"He can spell spectacular," assured the host.

To which Shaq replied: "No he can't. $10,000. Cash."

Barkley then quickly took up his challenge, and closed his eyes tightly to imagine the word.

"I'm gonna have to write it," said the 59-year-old.

He then whipped out a pen and began to scribble some letters on a page, as Shaq shouted, 'Spell it', across at him.

At first, it didn't seem as though it was going too well for the ex-pro, with one of his co-hosts saying he'd got it wrong.

But not backing down, Barkley pulled it out of the bag right at the death, announcing: "S-P-E-C-T-A-C-U-L-A-R."

Now, you'd expect a multi-millionaire like Shaq to stay good to his word, right?

Barkley's just taken you to the cleaners. Pay the man.

Well, it appears not, because the ex-Phoenix Suns player recently claimed that he was yet to receive a cent of the money owed to him.

While a guest on CNN's This Morning show, Barkley was replayed the clip.

And he said: "I have not gotten paid yet. I have not gotten my $10,000 yet.

"Hey, Kaitlan, that’s that Auburn education! I actually had forgotten about that. I want to thank you guys for reminding me about it."

Do the right thing, Shaq.

Topics: Sport, US News, NBA, Viral

Dominic Smithers

Dominic Smithers is the News/Agenda Desk Lead, covering the latest trends and breaking stories. After graduating from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History, he went on to write for the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express. So as you can imagine, he’s spent many a night wondering just how useful that second language has been. But c'est la vie.

@SmithersDom