“Kenny Smith, you never had a chance”: Shaquille O’Neal’s honest assessment of former Rockets guard’s All-Star bid

Kenny Smith claimed he once had a good chance of making the All-Star team. Shaquille O’Neal could do nothing but scoff in response.

The Jet, as Kenny is popularly called, is possibly the sanest of the NBA players on the Inside crew. Many a time, Kenny is the one propping up the basketball element of the show when others are meandering.

Ernie, Kenny, Chuck and Shaq are like high school friends who can’t help but take the mickey out of each other. Shaq may sometimes take real offense and start bringing up rings and his dominance. But otherwise, the crew is as close as pals can be at a workplace.

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This great camaraderie has brought us some really endearing moments through the years. It has also revealed the savage side of these 4 talking heads, who’ve won several Emmy awards together.

Kenny Smith reminisces about his best season with the Rockets; Shaquille O’Neal scoffs

During last night’s broadcast, Kenny began reminiscing about his best season:

“My biggest regret is not making the All-Star Game. There waas one season when I was close. I was averaging like 18 points and 8 assists, but Magic, Stockton and Drexler were locks.”

Kenny actually averaged 17.7 points and 7.1 assists in his best year, so he was playing his stats up by a bit. Either way, Shaq had the final word:

“Kenny, you’re one of my best friends, but you never had a chance to make the All-Star Game. (responds to laughter in the studio) Never ever ever ever.”

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It might be a bit harsh of Shaq to bring this up, but he’s quite right when he says it. The Jet was never a true star, he was playing a supporting role wherever he played – even in his best years. Kenny, unlike Shaq, however, seems to have much thicker skin, and he took the retort in good spirits.