Shaquille O’Neal Proudly Advertises His ‘Shaq’ Shoes on Inside The NBA, Draws a Dig from Charles Barkley

Advait Jajodia | 17/01/2025
Shaquille O'Neal (L) and Kenny Smith (R)

Racing towards the big screen is nothing new for the “Inside the NBA” crew. During tonight’s TNT halftime segment, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith faced off in yet another sprint to the big screen. After the Los Angeles Lakers legend emerged victorious over “The Jet” in the race from their desk, the conversation quickly shifted to Shaq’s shoes.

His unexpected loss perplexed Smith, especially after gaining an early advantage. Curious, he turned to his opponent and asked about his footwear.

“What kind of shoes are you wearing, brother?” Smith asked.

O’Neal promptly responded, “Shaqs.”

After comparing the shoes to “big old marshmallows,” Ernie Johnson appeared genuinely impressed by the look of the white laceless sneakers after the big man put his feet on the desk. Meanwhile, Charles Barkley couldn’t resist chiming in, expressing surprise that Shaq hadn’t distributed the sneakers as a Christmas gift.

“Surprised we didn’t get those for Christmas,” Barkley seemed disappointed.

Shaq responded with a sly remark, promising to gift a pair of shoes to each panel member… everyone except the Chuckster.

NBA Twitter trolls Shaq’s shoes

O’Neal’s shoes sparked plenty of chatter after the show on social media. A majority of fans trolled the four-time champion over his footwear.

X users Josh Miller and @LBrothersMedia compared Shaq’s shoes to foam clogs, suggesting they resembled something a nurse might wear.

Meanwhile, @ReaceyP got more specific, joking that the shoes looked like Crocs.

Shaq has often proven to be unbothered by jokes. Ignoring the naysayers, we can expect O’Neal to don these shoes in the future as well.

Post Edited By: Raahib Singh
Shaquille O'Neal

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Advait Jajodia

Advait Jajodia, an NBA and Tennis journalist for The SportsRush, has had a passion for both sports for over a decade. His admiration for Kobe Bryant, Stephen Curry, and Rafael Nadal pushed him to gain a profound understanding of the sports. With a background as a multi-sport athlete, Advait uses his experience on the hardwood and the court to offer insightful analysis. Over four years of dedicated sports journalism has equipped the 22-year-old with a unique perspective, reflected in his prolific portfolio of 4,700+ articles.

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