Last Tuesday night, mid‑analysis of Kawhi Leonard’s heroic 39‑point outburst, cameras cut to an empty chair where Shaquille O’Neal once sat—he’d bolted off set without a word. Charles Barkley froze, Kenny Smith stifled a grin, and the studio erupted into slow‑mo replays questioning, “Where’d Shaq go?”

With no warning or explanation, the giant man on a mission strode off set. “Go ahead, keep talking, gents,” he said casually as he strolled off set. Charles Barkley looked stunned. “Uh… we’re on TV,” he muttered, still confused. It didn’t take long before laughter filled the studio. Even the camera crew got in on the fun, replaying the scene in slow motion.

Viewers first blamed his olive‑oil cleanse for the sudden exit. Kenny Smith teased that it was the olive oil doing its job. Even Shaq played along, blaming Barkley for holding up the commercial. But while fans kept guessing, someone else delivered the real scoop. His son Shaqir stepped in with a single emoji comment—”💩”. It was posted under the Instagram post sharing the incident, with the caption, “Shaq had to go deliver live on TV,” confirming what we were all thinking but didn’t want to say.

After the slow‑mo replay wrapped, Barkley quipped, “Take some matches with you!” he shouted as Shaq walked away. The jokes kept rolling, and so did the laughter. Between Shaq’s hilarious exit and Shaqir’s cheeky reveal, fans were treated to one of the show’s funniest moments yet. Only Inside the NBA could turn a bathroom break into broadcast gold. And what’s more interesting is this all took place while the crew was discussing Kawhi Leonard’s historic stat line! Things sure took an absurd turn no one could’ve seen coming, well maybe Shaq did!

Kawhi’s historic night was the talk until Shaquille O’Neal stole the show

Before Shaquille O’Neal’s unexpected mid-show exit, the “Inside the NBA” crew was focused on Kawhi Leonard’s monster performance. Leonard dropped 39 points in 39 minutes while shooting an insane 15-of-19 from the field. He also added five assists, three rebounds, two steals, one block, and only one turnover. No other player in NBA history has ever recorded that exact stat line in a playoff game.

Outside of Leonard, LA’s role players barely contributed: James Harden, Norman Powell, and Bogdan Bogdanovic combined to shoot just 12‑of‑36 (33.3 FG%). Even with Ivica Zubac’s 16 points and 12 rebounds, the bench’s inefficiency underscored the Clippers’ lack of depth, even in victory. Leonard’s dominant night helped LA tie the series 1-1 against Denver as the matchup heads to California.

But just as the panel started breaking down Leonard’s stat line, the show took an unexpected turn. Shaq stood up mid-discussion and casually left the set, telling his co-hosts to keep talking. That hilarious moment completely stole the spotlight.

Though Kawhi made NBA history, the viral clip of Shaq’s emergency exit quickly became the internet’s favorite part of the night. Sometimes, even a historic performance can get upstaged, especially when you’re on Inside the NBA.