Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley needed their moms to remind them that their friendship was more important than the game.
Father Mark-Mary Ames, CFR, the host of Ascension's popular podcast The Rosary in a Year, offers a hilarious NBA court side reflection on how mothers are innate peacemakers.
“Me and Charles had a fight. He hits [me] on the head with the ball. I’m like, ‘Charles, I respect you, but now I gotta knock you out.’ It wasn’t a real fight. But as soon as I get to the locker room, the Houston security guard comes on the phone and says ‘Here.’ I’m like, ‘Who is this?’
“So, on two-way was my mom and Charles Barkley’s mom. Barkley’s mom was a lovely, beautiful woman. She goes, ‘This is Charles’ mom and your mom’s on the phone too. Y’all need to stop. I already talked to Charles. He’s gonna meet you in the hallway. Y’all need to stop and hug. Y’all are two of the greatest players in the world. We don’t want y'all fighting in front of the kids. Y’all stop that.’
“I said, ‘Yes ma’am.’ Not gonna be talking back. So, I go in the hallway. Me and Charles, we hug it out ...”
The two men went on to have a famous personal and professional relationship spanning several decades. Essentiallysports.com reported on their roles as NBA commentators on the TV network TNT: "Shaq and Chuck not only bring their expert analysis to the table, but also humor and banter, something that sets them apart from their rival shows. It’s no surprise that they have won nine Emmy Awards so far."
And it's funny to think their mothers and that 1999 phone call played a part in this success.
A 1999 game
PAUL BUCK | PAUL BUCK
Getting to the goal
Father Mark-Mary expounds on Shaq and Chuck's game-day scuffle and their moms' subsequent refereeing: "There's something about the motherly heart that is not concerned about what happened or whose fault it is. What mothers are concerned about is whether people are at peace and in a right relationship with each other. ... These mothers -- these peacemakers -- were not so concerned about who did what or who started it. They were concerned about the goal."
Fr. Mark-Mary continues by quoting St. Augustine who defined peace as a "tranquility of order." He talks about how Jesus, the Prince of Peace, came to restore this "tranquility of order" with the world by bringing all of creation back into a right relationship with himself through his life, death, and resurrection.
As a mom to seven sons, I have a pretty "hands-off" relationship with my teens and especially adult sons. I've written essays about the importance of showing one's teenage son respect and I certainly stand by such assertions as they have always worked well for me.
While I cannot fathom being as direct with my adult sons as Shaq and Chuck's moms were in their 1999 phone call, I find the story hilarious and inspirational. It certainly opens my mind and heart to the Holy Spirit's leading should I be called to speak more directly into my teenage and adult sons' lives, especially if I see their relationships suffering. Because that's what Shaq and Chuck's moms homed in on so well -- they insisted their sons' relationship was more important than the game, and they were right.
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." -- Matthew 5:9