I’m forever here for the constant bickering and trading of insults between Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal.
The two former NBA stars have worked together for years on the show NBA on TNT. Joined by Ernie Johnson and (usually) Kenny Smith, the four analysts break down the games in an informative and entertaining way. There’s not a lot of other shows on TV that do it as well as they do.
We found out last week that the shtick Charles and Shaq throw back and forth at one another isn’t just for TV. Behind the scenes footage from NBA on TNT came out showing “Chuck” and “Diesel” jabbing at one another before the cameras even started rolling.
That video was hilarious, as was this one below that actually did air on live television. TNT was broadcasting another edition of “The Match,” which usually rolls out an interesting group of golfers (pro and amateur) to play during primetime.
This time around, The Match featured both PGA and LPGA golfers, with Rory McIlroy, Lexi Thompson, Rose Zhang and Max Homa all teeing it up in a skins match. Rory ended up emerging victorious, but the moment that really stood out was a dig that Charles Barkley delivered towards Shaq.
One of the broadcasters for The Match was talking about how German player Rose Zhang had taught her the German word “Nilpferd,” which translates in english to hippopotamus. Charles’ quick wit kicked in, and he used the window to crack a joke at Shaq’s expense:
“I know a hippopotamus, he works on TNT.”
BOOM, ROASTED.
Let the record show that Shaquille O’Neal is not a hippopotamus. He is over 7-feet tall and weighs around 300 pounds though, so maybe that’s why Sir Charles decided to deliver the low blow to his on-air colleague (?).
I’ll be excited to hear how Shaq claps back at the “round mound of rebound” next time he gets the chance…
