“I Don’t Want To Work With Shaquille O’Neal or Kenny”: ‘Frustrated’ Charles Barkley Roasts Fellow Analysts, Questions Their Work Ethic

The show ‘Inside The NBA‘ with it’s star-studded cast of Ernie Johnson Jr, Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley, and Kenny ‘The Jet’ Smith, is the most entertaining NBA show. Their iconic banter and friendly roasting have become a cornerstone of NBA pop culture. Staying true to their manifesto, in a recent segment on Ernie’s and Chuck’s podcast, the ‘Steam Room’, Charles was asked to pick a member from the TNT cast to work on a project with. Barkley denied choosing either Kenny or Shaq as an option which intrigued Ernie. On listening to Chuck’s explanation, even Ernie seemed to have a change of heart.

Ernie, easily the voice of sanity in a pot brewing with chaotic energy, surprisingly found himself swayed to Chuck’s ramblings. Despite all the atrocious things Sir Charles has graced us with, there are a few rational claims scattered between them. This was clearly one of those.

Charles Barkley questions Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith’s work ethic

The chemistry among the hosts on Inside The NBA is what makes the show such a great watch. That being said, the strong personalities have to be managed on set, often being the job of Ernie Johnson Jr. In a recent episode of ‘The Steam Room’, a show hosted by Ernie and Chuck, the Hall of Famer was asked a question by his co-host, which resulted in a hilarious moment. Ernie asked Barkley,

“If Inside The NBA was doing a group project, who would you least like to help you out, Shaq or Kenny?”.

Responding to the question, a frustrated Chuck let Ernie know that,

“Shaq, or Kenny. Either. Both. I don’t want to work with Shaq or Kenny in any capacity on anything serious. One guy, I’mma have to work half the time at a hookah bar. The other guy, I don’t know if he gonna show up half the time.”

Listening to Chuck’s explanation on the matter led to Ernie hilariously agreeing with the Chuckster, going as far as even retracting his answer.

Shaq’s ‘Adaptability’ made him great later in his career

Shaquille O’Neal is undoubtedly the most dominant force the league has ever seen. An alpha in his ways, Shaq was often flagged by teams as being ‘difficult to manage’ and being ‘ a locker-room terror’. This would often lead to transfers, of which Shaq saw many.

Though towards the end of his career, ‘The Diesel’ learned how to ‘get along’ with others and even went on to win a chip with Dwayne Wade and The Miami Heat. This newfound ‘adaptability’ is what led to Shaq’s success in his post-retirement years. Signing to TNT, O’Neal now has become an integral part of the crew and the culture of the show at ‘Inside The NBA’.