TNT’s Inside the NBA analysts are well known for their friendly and hilarious banter that has made the show one of the most watched and entertaining programs, as far as NBA TV is concerned. One such instance of their hilarious antics took place recently as the cast members arrived for a Tuesday Night segment, and the likes of Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal found themselves entangled in friendly competition.
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Shaq, who did not have the best jumper during his NBA career, was taking some shots when Smith bet him $100 to make a 15-footer. According to Daily Mail, Shaq ended up making the shot effortlessly, which meant that Kenny now owed him the money.
Smith, however, responded by refusing to make the payment. He claimed that he had won innumerable bets against Shaq in the past and had never been paid. “Shaq owes me more than that. You know how many bets that he hasn’t paid? And how many shots that I probably hit over the years that he’s never paid me?” Smith said.
It seems as if the two have a habit of wagering against each other, with Kenny in particular having won a range of bets in the past. Smith claimed that he has been draining shots as a result of them for many years.
However, Shaquille O’Neal never once paid his friend and colleague. This also meant that Smith himself had no intention of paying when he made the wager. This childish banter between the NBA legends is particularly funny if you take into account their massive net worths.
Shaquille O’Neal had bet Charles Barkley $10,000 that he could not spell ‘spectacular’
The $100 bet between Kenny Smith and Shaq is hardly the extent of wagering that goes on amongst the Inside the NBA cast. Around a year ago, O’Neal had wagered a whopping $10,000 because he was sure Barkley did not know how to spell ‘spectacular.’
While his confidence was warranted considering Chuck did struggle to get it right, the Chuckster eventually managed to spell the word correctly. This meant that O’Neal now had a $10000 payment to make, something he decided to never get around to.
Chuck later claimed that he had still not been paid for getting the spelling right, although there was nothing to gain for Shaq had he won the bet. Chuck never said that he would pay the same amount if he ended up getting the spelling wrong. Hence, it seems as if Shaq has a bit of a habit of wagering money with his Inside the NBA friends. While he might have won $100 from Kenny, O’Neal still owes a whopping $10,000 to Charles Barkley as well.
