NBA legend Shaquille O’ Neal was recently mocked by his co-workers Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith. It comes after ‘Big Diesel’ called out sick and missed Thursday’s Inside the NBA.
Before Ernie Johnson could even announce that Shaq wasn’t feeling well, Barkley started right in and made reference to the fact that Johnson, Barkley and Smith had hosted the show for years before Shaq joined.
“This is like 13 years ago,” said Johnson. “It’s just the three of us.”
“You know what Kenny called those?” asked Barkley. “The good old days.”
When Johnson then told the audience Shaq wasn’t feeling well, Barkley said, “Please stop it.”
The Inside the NBA graphics department even got in the mix. They aired a photo of Shaq sitting on the couch wrapped in a blanket.
Barkley continued, “Just go down the street. You’ll see him at the hookah bar.”
Smith then got in his shots. “If he took off and stayed in Atlanta, he’s an idiot. If I take off, I’m gonna be in Tahiti.”
When Johnson tried to explain that Shaq was sick, Smith said, “He’s not sick. Stop it. He’s not sick.”
Then all three piled on with Johnson telling Shaq to “man up,” while Smith told Shaq to just “rub some Icy Hot on it,” and Barkley implored Shaq to “bring his ass to the studio.”
