“Pulled a Paul Pierce”: Shaquille O’Neal Leaving TNT Set on Live TV to Use the Bathroom Has NBA Fans in Splits

The Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Clippers played out a classic in Game 2, and Inside the NBA couldn’t wait to talk about it. Midway through their conversation, though, while Charles Barkley was talking about Kawhi Leonard, Shaquille O’Neal just got up and uncomfortably hobbled out of the studio, much to everyone’s surprise.

His co-hosts definitely knew what he was doing, as they laughed him off the set, while Ernie Johnson just looked on confused. Chuck hilariously told Shaq to carry some matches with him, anticipating a longer bathroom visit than most, to which Shaq simply laughed.

His unsteady walk off the studio reminded a lot of fans of Paul Pierce’s infamous wheelchair incident, and they took to the replies of the tweet to point that out.

“Bro pulled a Paul Pierce,” said one fan, while another simply joked about Shaq’s walk off the stage, saying, “We know that walk.”

Bro pulled a Paul Pierce

— Aidan LaPorta (@AidanLaPorta69) April 22, 2025

Pierce, in Game 1 of the 2008 NBA Finals, collided with Kendrick Perkins and was in such pain that he had to be carried off in a wheelchair. Fans feared that it would be the end of his Finals series, until he came back a few minutes later, and sank the crucial buckets to hand the Celtics a 1-0 lead.

While Pierce has vehemently claimed that he was carried off due to a strained MCL, fans have since theorised that he actually needed to use the bathroom mid-game, and that the injury was an excuse to save some of his dignity.

Once Shaq returned from his bathroom break, he confirmed to the others that he only went number 1 in there, before apologising to the TV for his sudden departure, and asked Chuck to finish his point so that they could cut to a commercial break.

https://twitter.com/ohnohedidnt24/status/1914544426086547710

The way in which none of the three remaining co-hosts were worked up or even bothered that Shaq had to answer Nature’s Call is what makes the show a fan favorite. Their unapologetic dedication to just being themselves just goes to show why they are so beloved by everyone, and why Inside the NBA is one of the best sports shows on TV.