Over the years, TNT’s “Inside the NBA” crew has been known to poke fun at any and all situations. This past Tuesday, Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley once again kept that tradition alive with a reenactment of one of the most talked about on-camera arguments of the year.
The internet went crazy earlier this week after Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless got into it on Monday’s episode of “Undisputed” during a discussion about Tom Brady. The conversation spiraled into an intense argument after Sharpe told Bayless he was taking “personal shots” after he juxtaposed his praise for Brady still playing at age 45 with criticizing the Hall of Fame tight end for retiring at 35.
“That’s what you do,” Sharpe replied. “Every time I call something into question, I’m ‘jealous.’ Skip, I did what I did. You make it seem like I was a bum! I’m in the effing hall of fame. I’ve got three Super Bowls.”
“So what? He’s way better than you were,” Bayless shouted. The longtime talking head even demanded a heated Sharpe put his glasses back on after he took them off in frustration.
As the viral clip made its rounds over the coming days, the segment caught the eye of O’Neal and Barkley, who pulled off their best Sharpe/Bayless impression during the “Inside the NBA” halftime show on Tuesday.
O’Neal and Barkley got into one of their signature on-air “squabbles” that usually results in one or both of the Hall of Famers threatening some sort of violence on each other. This time, it started when O’Neal said he would smack Barkley, leading into a hilarious back-and-forth after Chuck quickly shut him down.
“Hey, Skip Bayless,” Shaq said, “Disrespect me again, Skip Bayless.”
Barkley then quickly put on and took off his glasses, to assume the role of Sharpe in the argument, before yelling, “Insult me again!”
“Put your glasses back on,” said Shaq, as Bayless, repeatedly while pretending to stammer.
The gag concluded with Barkley yelling some more before he and O’Neal burst into laughter just as Ernie Johnson, as he often does, attempted to restore order for the next segment.
While the comedy may or may not have landed for some, hats off to the guys for at least attempting to bring some levity to what appeared like a very real on-air moment.
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