ESPN play-by-play announcer Dave O’Brien described himself as the luckiest guy in broadcasting on Saturday night. Why? Because he was sat next to two of the most legendary broadcasters in basketball history for Indiana-Kentucky.
Charles Barkley and Dick Vitale joined O’Brien on the call from Rupp Arena in a crossover event that warmed the hearts of basketball junkies across the country. And during the first half of Saturday’s game, Barkley made a pledge on-air that had even the voluble Vitael struggling to come up with the right words to thank the big man.
The Inside the NBA star told Vitale that he and his colleague Shaquille O’Neal would donate $100,000 each to Dick Vitale’s Gala for pediatric cancer research.
Charles Barkley and Shaq are each donating 100K to Dick Vitale’s Gala for pediatric cancer research ❤️
When you give to The V Foundation for Cancer Research, 100% of donations go directly to cancer research organizations nationwide ➡️ https://t.co/6NwFh2XdEK pic.twitter.com/zIgG0aTDwd
— ESPN (@espn) December 14, 2025
“Me and Shaq gonna give you each $100,000. How about that? I ain’t even gonna ask Shaq for permission. Shaq giving you $100,000, and I’m giving you $100,000. And I don’t care what his fat ass says, we giving you $200,000,” Barkley told Vitale.
“Wow. I love this guy. I love you. Wow. Son, I tell you, you got a heart of gold,” a jubilant Dickie V said.
“It’s an honor. And I told you, I don’t care what Shaq says, he giving $100,000 too,” Barkley reiterated.
When you have Charles Barkley or Shaq money, I guess you can go ahead and give away six-figure checks for each other willy-nilly. At least, you can do that when it’s for a good cause.
Vitale has certainly done more than his fair share championing pediatric cancer research. His gala earlier this year announced that $12.5 million had been raised for the V Foundation in the past year, bringing the gala’s total contributions to over $100 million since its inception 20 years ago.
Vitale, 86, recently returned to broadcasting after himself beating several forms of cancer in recent years.
This won’t be the last we see of Barkley and Vitale in the booth together. The duo will call a First Four game on truTV in March, with the play-by-play announcer still to be determined.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.