"My grandma would be mad at me if I let him get away with it." – Charles Barkley explains why he didn't back down from Shaquille O'Neal in the 1999

Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal are no strangers to physical play. In 1999, the two NBA legends were involved in a famous brawl that has since been regularly televised on TNT during their analyst appearances.

Barkley was playing for the Houston Rockets at the time, while O'Neal was the star center of the Los Angeles Lakers. In one play in the second quarter of that game, Charles was trying to get a shot off but got blocked by Shaq. The 1993 Most Valuable Player got the ball back but was shoved by "The Diesel."

"The Round Mound of Rebound" did not appreciate that extra motion and threw the basketball toward Shaq. O'Neal retaliated by throwing a punch, and a scuffle ensued. Both players were ejected for instigating the altercation.

Despite losing O'Neal, the Lakers went on to win over the Rockets, 89-88. It was a double whammy for the Houston Rockets, as they suffered their fifth straight loss.

According to Shaq, Barkley was noticeably frustrated in that game. The Rockets were not playing well, and the 5th overall pick of the 1984 Draft was hardly playing his best basketball.

"Obviously he is frustrated the way his team is playing. He wasn't doing much and his team is 0-5," O'Neal said after that game via the New York Times .

Barkley won't be pushed around

Despite O'Neal's comments, Barkley stressed that he would not be pushed around. "The Bread Truck" emphasized that he was just defending himself following the Shaq shove.

"I can't let him hit me and get away with it," Barkley stated . "My grandma would be mad at me if I let him get away with it. I had to defend myself," he added .

The fracas would cost the two NBA legends hefty fines. O'Neal would be fined $10,000 for his punch, while Barkley was handed $5,000 for throwing the ball at the Lakers center. Aside from that, Charles and Shaq were handed a one-game suspension without pay.

Shaq wanted to mess up Charles

Recalling that incident, O'Neal admitted that things could have turned ugly between him and Barkley at the time. But a phone call from his mom altered all of that, telling him to squash it with Chuck. It turns out that his and Charles' mom were longtime best friends .

"I'm not gonna go against my momma ever. So, I'm walking down the hall. He's walking down the hall. I'm looking at him like, 'Motherf**ker, even if my momma said that, you make a move, Imma knock yo' a** out," O'Neal shared on a podcast .

It was a rare heated moment between two heavyweights, although both have mellowed down since. Today, Shaq and Chuck are great friends and colleagues, as they buried the hatchet a long time ago. We can only hope their TV relationship lasts even longer, with TNT currently negotiating its future deal with the NBA.

Related: "My head hurt for like two days" - When Charles Barkley learned not to drink beer with Larry Bird