The NBA on TNT crew is one of the most beloved panels when it comes to NBA analysts. So, seeing more screen time for Charles Barkley and Ernie Johnson is just another recipe for success. Johnson and Barkley recently shot the first episode of The Steam Room for the New Year. Being celebrities themselves, the two shared their stories of meeting mega-celebrities while working out in the gym.
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Former Suns forward Charles Barkley went on to share his story of missing out on meeting Paul McCartney once when he was visiting Los Angeles. Barkley went on to narrate the story.
“I was in LA one time with my agent. We had shot like, 3 or 4 days and I was exhausted. So I said, ‘Imma take a nap before dinner.’ He goes to the gym and Paul McCartney is in there. We get to dinner, and he says, ‘Yeah, Paul McCartney was in the…’ I was like, ‘Yo Man. Why didn’t you wake me up?’ He says, ‘You told me you wanted to take a nap.’ I said, ‘I DID WANT TO TAKE A NAP. But I didn’t need a nap if Paul McCartney was gonna be in the gym.”
Now whether Barkley eventually got to meet the Beatles legend or not was something that Sir Charles did not reveal. But judging by his tone, he may have missed out on that opportunity.
Ernie Johnson’s story of meeting another celebrity in the gym was none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger. And he was so conscious of the fact that it was just him and Schwarzenegger in the gym that he waited for him to finish his workout and leave.
“I was in the gym one day. Got into town and went down to the gym. And there were only two people in there. Me and Arnold Schwarzenegger.” Chuck’s expression changed when he got to know Ernie shared a gym session with Arnold. But he wanted the conversation to continue as he mentioned, ” y’all got the same body type.”
Ernier further said, “I was afraid to even touch a weight. I was just like, ‘Is this guy gonna be done anytime soon?’ I don’t want him looking over me when I got the executive dumbbells, doing my curls. Like, I just kinda stood around in the corner, stretched for about 45 minutes till he left.”
Working out with Arnold might be a dream for many people. However, matching the same level of energy and intensity in the gym as the 76-year-old is not an easy task. Understandably, Ernie decided not to work out in front of the bodybuilding legend.
A crossover for the world to see
Arnold Schwarzenegger has had run-ins with not just Ernie Johnson but Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal as well. Barkley’s interview on 60 Minutes last year received a lot of love and praise from Arnold Schwarzenegger’s ex-wife Maria Shriver.
Even Shaquille O’Neal was eager to join the Austrian actor in the $1.4 billion movie franchise. Shaq wanted to be a part of Terminator 3 and even predicted that he and Schwarzenegger would go on to make $200 million by fighting on screen.
It would be an interesting crossover to see if the Austrian legend makes an appearance on the NBA on TNT show, meeting the panel and the crew.
