Shaquille O’neal partners with Kenny Smith for hilarious Christmas Day twist at ESPN’s Inside the NBA show

It is never a dull moment with Shaquille O’Neal. Be it his Instagram posts or even the show “Inside the NBA,” the NBA analyst always manages to rack up laughs from his fans. Recently, a clip from ESPN’s Inside the NBA went viral, which showcased an unusual ending of a race between Shaquille and his co-host Kenny Smith. The duo partnered up for a surprise Christmas Day race inside the set. What happened after had everyone laughing in the studio.

Shaq and Smith are known for their fun banter in their work relationship. The duo shares a close friendship that has developed over the years as they worked together. They co-hosted Inside the NBA on TNT and those episodes were also marked by playful banter between the duo.

Shaquille O’Neal plans an unexpected race with Kenny Smith with an expected ending

It was a Christmas Day game between the New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The game analysis at ESPN’s Inside the NBA was going on when the show took a hilarious turn during the halftime of the game. Kenny Smith decided to lighten up the mood and he played with Shaquille O’Neal’s hat. Shaq stood up and ran towards Smith. It quickly turned into a race as both of them ran towards the giant video board in the set. Shaq could not stop himself in the right moment and hit the board, breaking it.


The series of events as they unfolded left everyone in shock. Charles Barkley, Ernie Johnson and Smith could not control their laughter. It was a hard fall for the former NBA player. However, there were cushions behind the screen that saved him from getting injured. Shaq came out laughing from behind the board. One of the co-hosts even pointed out the cushions behind the screen, “Look at the cushion back there. It was already there Shaq.” It was at this moment when both Shaq and Smith admitted that all of this was already planned. All four of them had a great time sharing the laughs.

What happened in the Christmas Day game between the New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers?

The New York Knicks racked up a close win against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The team won with a 2-point lead. It was a tough game for both teams. The Cavaliers started with a 15-point lead after the first quarter but soon lost the lead in the second quarter itself. Since then the Knicks tried to maintain the lead. Towards the end of the game, the final score was 126-124, favoring the Knicks. Jalen Brunson and Donovan Mitchell became the highest scorers with 34 points each.

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