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“Aaron Brooks plays for Guangdong Tigers! Ni-Hao!”: Shaquille O’Neal hilariously beats Charles Barkley in a classic ‘Who He Play For?’ NBAonTNT segment

Samir Mehdi
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“Aaron Brooks plays for Guangdong Tigers! Ni-Hao!”: Shaquille O’Neal hilariously beats Charles Barkley in a classic ‘Who He Play For?’ NBAonTNT segment

Shaquille O’Neal bests Charles Barkley in a classic ‘Who he play for?’ when he yells out ‘Guangdong Tigers’ on NBAonTNT. 

Shaquille O’Neal may have had a lackluster end to his 19-year career with him tearing his Achilles on the Boston Celtics but he would eventually land a job right after that would change sports media forever. Him joining the set of ‘Inside the NBA’ on NBAonTNT would be one of the most quintessential moments in NBA analysis history. 

NBAonTNT already had their hands full with one loud-mouthed, Hall-of-Famer in Charles Barkley but getting Shaq to come on board was just the icing on top of the cake. While he did take some time to adjust with Kenny even admitting O’Neal wasn’t doing a good job in the beginning, he eventually got used to it. 

It’s difficult for athletes to transition from being on the court and playing to being the people who criticize the players that are now playing. Shaquille O’Neal certainly took his time and one of the greatest moments he had while on ‘Inside the NBA’ would come during the period of him getting used to it all.

Also read: Shaquille O’Neal refused to pay $12 million after reportedly planting child p*rn on ex-employee’s computer

Shaquille O’Neal yells out ‘Ni-Hao’ over and over again. 

‘Who he play for’ is a fan favorite segment on ‘Inside the NBA’ as it truly shows just how much Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley know about the current state of the NBA. In all fairness to them however, some of the guys put on the screen for them to guess are genuinely pretty difficult to know if you aren’t glued to NBA content 24/7. 

On this particular night however, Shaq seemed to have gotten extremely confident in his ability to know where more or less obscure basketball players were situated. When it came to former 26th overall pick, Aaron Brooks, both Chuck and Shaq knew where he was playing. 

While Barkley was right when he said he played in China, ‘the Big Aristotle’ lived up to the nickname by correctly knowing he not only played in China but was part of the Guangdong Tigers. This led to him celebrating in a way that would go down as one of the greatest moments in NBAonTNT history. 

Also read: “Kobe Bryant’s so awesome and handsome and has really nice natural teeth?” : Shaquille O’Neal gets hilariously pranked in a 2K commercial

About the author

Samir Mehdi

Samir Mehdi

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Samir Mehdi is a senior strategist for the NBA division at The Sportsrush. Ever since he was 13 years old, he’s been obsessed with the game of basketball. From watching Kobe Bryant’s highlights on YouTube to now, analyzing and breaking down every single game on League Pass, Samir’s passion for the game is unwavering. He's a complete basketball junkie who not only breaks down current games but also keenly watches ones from the 60s’ and 70s’ while also reading comprehensive books on the history of the league. Samir’s life revolves around basketball and he hopes that shows in his work. Aside from work, he loves to spend time in the gym and with his friends at social gatherings.

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