It was a hilarious scene and not something you see every day.
The Big Aristotle turned into . . . something else
Now one former NBA is pushing Shaq into the Christmas spirit in a surprising way.
In a comedic scene, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith raced each other from the anchor desk to the video board on TNT’s Inside the NBA on Tuesday nights.
But the chaotic holiday rush reached a whole new level in Tuesday’s race during the Lakers-Cavaliers game.
Smith was preparing to go through his big-screen analysis.
Ernie Johnson and Charles Barkley remained at the desk, but Shaq and Smith took off.
Smith pushed The Diesel into the big Christmas tree before making it to the screen.
It needs to be said that Shaq towers over Smith, and the NBA champ wasn’t too graceful as he fell over gifts beneath the tree before landing on his back.
KENNY DID SHAQ DIRTY 😆😆
(🎥: @NBAonTNT) pic.twitter.com/HOpTL0TVIo
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) December 7, 2022
Shaq, aided by his other co-hosts, found his way beneath the tree and had a few words for Smith.
O’Neal said several times, “This means war, Kenny.”
Shaq himself was not satisfied with his first run-in with the tree and he called Johnson on a bet that he wouldn’t dive into the tree headfirst.
Sure enough, that’s just what he did.
Shaq: “Say I won’t dive into that tree right now”
Ernie: “You won’t dive into that tree right now”
Shaq: pic.twitter.com/Rf9fQftk6Y— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) December 7, 2022
After that, Smith stated the obvious, “We need a new tree now, man. Come on.”
O’Neal has yet to strike back against Kenny, and of course fans are curious to see whether or not this will become an ongoing back and forth.
The guys will all be together again breaking down basketball in just a matter of days.
Hopefully, for Smith’s sake, Shaq isn’t too concerned about one-upping him.
In the end, this light-hearted moment is sure to put the fans in the holiday spirit.
There’s nothing quite like the O’Neal-Smith interaction in between games.
Sports with Balls will keep you up-to-date on any developments to this ongoing story.