Shaq Walks Off ‘Inside the NBA’ After Charles Barkley’s Jay-Z Comment

If you needed proof of why ESPN swooped in to rescue Inside the NBA from ending when Turner loses NBA coverage next year, look no further. Charles Barkley and the rest of the crew delivered another memorable moment that had folks rolling. It got so silly that Shaquille O’Neal and Ernie Johnson had to walk off the set.

During a segment pumping up the upcoming showdown between Kenny Smith and Stephen A. Smith in a free throw contest. Smith compares shooting against the ESPN personality to a rapper challenging an amateur in a high-profile rap battle. Then he drops Jay-Z as an example.

“Probably not a good time right now,” Barkley leans in to say to Smith, cutting him off in the process and bringing the segment to a halt. Shaq had to turn his back and walk off the set, to keep from breaking up in front of everybody. It wouldn’t be the first time Shaq has fallen apart on the screen, but this is nice to see given the tone of this season after the rights decision.

Ernie Johnson also had to stand up and walk it off, cementing it as an all-time moment for the show. If Johnson ends up laughing in front of the cameras, it is typically the trademark of a classic moment. It’s only outdone by the moments he gets a little shade out.

“You are a silly man,” Smith ends up telling Barkley, changing his comparison from Jay-Z to Kendrick Lamar after the laughter cools off.

Jay-Z was named in an unnamed woman’s lawsuit against Diddy, alleging that he and the disgraced mogul raped her at an afterparty for the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards. Diddy is currently sitting behind bars awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.