Shaquille O’Neal Catches Stray Bullet From Charles Barkley Despite Unexpected TNT Absence

Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal love getting into each other’s head on Inside the NBA. We can add Houston Rockets legend Kenny Smith in there too, but he is likely to side with Barkley because both of them believe Shaq is a “dummy“. In another episode of throwing jabs at Shaq, Barkley and Smith joined forces once again. However, there’s a twist today. Shaq was not on the sets of Studio J, because he was replaced by a Dallas Mavericks legend. 

Ahead of the Western Conference Semi-Finals between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Denver Nuggets, Inside the NBA decided to welcome their new co-host Dirk Nowitzki, who joined the sets of TNT. The crew watched a small highlight of Nowitzki’s time with the Mavericks to give him a warm welcome. And, Barkley and Smith used that to get the best of Shaq in his absence. 

Ernie Johnson took the honor of welcoming Nowitzki, “14x All-Star, an MVP, a champion, a Finals MVP, a Hall of Famer”, and Smith added to it, “and a better teammate than Shaq“. Smith further shared, “We have a thing about Shaq. We say he’s not enjoyed a coach”.  

Barkley explained why, “Shaq don’t believe coaches are important. Dummy!” What’s to be noted here is that all these words from Barkley and Smith came within the first few minutes of the episode. That is how you take advantage of someone’s absence!

Nowitzki, who joined TNT for the first time, was enjoying his time there. Also, you might be curious as to why Nowitzki took over for Shaq today. 

Why was Shaquille O’Neal out today? Is Dirk Nowitzki trying his shot to become an analyst? 

TNT wanted to rest Shaq for an episode. Although many would love to see Nowitzki have a permanent place at Studio J, the crew confirmed this was temporary. The 2011 champion will be starring as an analyst, only for game 1 of Minnesota Timberwolves vs Denver Nuggets. However, the good news is that he will be there for the halftime report as well as the post-game analysis. 

It’s been quite some time since we saw Nowitzki on the television. The last time was during his induction into the Hall of Fame in 2023. He also returned to the American Airlines Center on a few occasions during the regular season, to support Luka Doncic and the Mavericks. Regarding the Mavericks, Doncic and Kyrie Irving have surpassed the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round. So don’t be surprised to see Nowitzki back at the American Airlines Center during the playoffs.