“Kenny Smith Was Soft, Just Like He Is Now”: Shaquille O’Neal ‘Flamed’ Inside the NBA Co-Host for 26-Year-Old Facts, Charles Barkley Added ‘Black Rudy’ Nickname

Back in 2021, Kenny Smith was called out by the Inside the NBA crew in 2021 for exaggerating his role in the Houston Rockets team that won two Championships in the 90s. When ‘the Jet’ claimed himself to be the vocal leader of the Rockets team at the time, the TNT crew fact-checked him using a clip from Shaquille O’ Neal’s Big Podcast. Making the moment even more hilarious, Charles Barkley declared a new nickname for his co-host.

Kenny Smith might claim himself to be the voice of the Rockets team, but his voice in the locker room wasn’t quite as influential. Though he started his first season helping the Rockets to a 52-30 record, he gradually started losing playing time by the end of his tenure with the franchise. During his final season with the Rockets, Smith just averaged 8.5 points per game, eventually being released following the 1995-96 season.

Kenny Smith got brutally fact-checked by the Inside the NBA crew for his wild claim

Kenny Smith made a wild claim by calling himself the vocal leader of the Championship-winning Rockets team of 1995 and 1996. However, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal weren’t ready to believe the former Houston guard’s claim about himself. Hence, they used another member of the then Rockets squad, Robert Horry’s help to fact check this claim.

Kenny Smith’s fellow Rockets star Horry instantly shut down his claim. Though Horry didn’t deny Smith’s attempts to be the voice in the team, he admitted that the 6’3 guard never could establish such a presence. Instead, the seven-time NBA Champion claimed Vernon Maxwell and Bernie Williams had a bigger presence than Kenny in the locker room. As a reaction to this, Shaq hilariously mocked  Smith’s quote and said,

“Kenny [Smith]…he was soft, just like he is now.” 

Smith’s wild claim being brutally shut down had Charles Barkley rolling in laughter. While Smith still continued his efforts to explain himself, the crew was not having it at all. Within the jiffy of the moment, Barkley ended up giving KS a new nickname, ‘Black Rudy’.

Kenny Smith’s claims often get brutally shut down by the Inside the NBA crew

Charles Barkley and the TNT crew never miss a moment to bust Kenny Smith’s claims. In several episodes of the Inside show, Kenny has brought up anecdotes regarding Hakeem Olajuwon from his Houston days. When Smith was once again trying to share another nugget of wisdom from Hakeem once, Charles Barkley snuck in a scalding burn by calling Kenny a ‘water boy.’

This isn’t the first time the crew has shut down Kenny’s ‘lies’. Ernie Johnson, Chuck, and Shaq do not miss any opportunity to remind Kenny of his final years in Houston and his 12.1 points average.