Chuck, Ernie, and Kenny have been busy with the NCAA Tournament. So it was Shaq’s time to shine. Like the main protagonist he is, he made a dramatic entrance during tip-off. One that made his substitute Thursday co-hosts back off. Literally. But Shaquille O’Neal’s antics had fans very, very concerned for him. After all, they don’t want the big man to take a break from the show for health reasons.

The NBA on TNT social media pages shared his arrival with appropriate captions like “Shaq sure knows how to make an entrance…” and “How’s that for an entrance, @SHAQ?” Possessed by a clumsy MI6 spy like Johnny English, he charged to the famous Inside the NBA desk and combat-rolled onto it to get to his seat on the far corner. Except he seems to forget he’s 7’1″ and around 324 lbs. So Adam Lefkoe, Baron Davis, and Jamal Crawford had to push their chairs very far to get away from the Shaq-valanche. “I didn’t want to be late,” Shaq said as the reason for his desperate stunt.

He also seems to forget that just when he started his weight-loss journey, he also underwent hip surgery around a year ago. O’Neal took a break from Inside the NBA in March 2023. Only a week after the surgery, he shared an update about hitting the weights in the gym. He’s also been prone to more stunts with his ‘bionic hip,’ as some like to call it.

Charles Barkley, Ernie Johnson, and Kenny ‘The Jet’ Smith are on March Madness duties. Without the only three people who can keep him in check, Shaq terrified Adam Lefkoe, Baron Davis, and Jamal Crawford with his stunt. Lefkoe was the most shocked that the “table didn’t break!” 

Fans remember though and almost held their breaths when he threw himself over the desk. But he also accomplished what he threw his body into for, and that is to make people laugh.

Shaq does his own stunts

Lefkoe pointed out this giant doesn’t need a stunt double. He’s been taking down Christmas trees like backboards and outrunning Kenny to the board for a decade. That ‘BBL’ even knocked out Lefkoe’s coffee (fortunately, it’s cold). Viewers, though, hope the freshly turned 52-year-old takes it easy. “Shaq and his BBL need to relax 4 he break something.” 

He may have beauty and grace, but Mr. Congeniality is also ginormous. “I feel like Shaq doesn’t realize he’s a giant and when he pulls off average people things…. It causes for anyone stop in their tracks.”

The sudden reminders of, “Didn’t he have hip replacement surgery?” were also explained by many fans saying that Shaq got the surgery so he could do even more stunts.

Though Lefkoe was reminded of some of his on-court shenanigans, he’s going to have to do better for his action movie debut. “Gotta work on the slide big fella.” After someone said, “Shocked that table didn’t collapse,” it’s worth noting that this famous table is Shaq-proof. After all, this isn’t the first and last of Big Diesel’s spy-grade antics.

A good few know that this is the result of not having Ernie in the studio to keep him in check. Balance will be restored after the NCAA Tournament in time for the playoffs. Shaq’s keeping it wild until then.

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