On Monday, Charles Barkley‘s old nemesis, the teleprompter, reared its ugly head and dominated the Hall of Famer again during NBA on TNT, much to the delight of Shaquille O’Neal. Barkley was filming a promo for the sports betting app FanDuel off the teleprompter but struggled to finish it. He repeatedly fluffed his lines, which amused his co-hosts. The former Phoenix Suns star went into defensive mode, saying:
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“I know how to read. I’m just nervous.”
After failing to get the lines right, Barkley tried to ab-lib but continued struggling to complete it. The former NBA MVP’s failure to read off the teleprompter led to a hilarious jibe by O’Neal. He said:
“That’s that Auburn University Education. Come to Auburn!”
After numerous attempts, Barkley finally stuck the landing, prompting the production team to clap and yell with glee, which bewildered the analyst.
This wasn’t the first time Barkley got bullied by the teleprompter. In 2018, O’Neal perfectly read a promo for The Alienist, a TNT show based on author Caleb Carr’s novel. Co-hosts Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith gave their co-host a round of applause for nailing the promo on his first attempt. An astonished Barkley remarked:
“Y’all giving him credit to know how to read?”
O’Neal challenged Barkley to read the promo off the teleprompter, and he accepted. The Hall of Famer fluffed his line right at the start, much to the delight of his co-hosts. Barkley tried again to no avail, prompting Johnson to ask him to quit. He then played an old clip where the producers tricked the former NBA MVP into reading, ‘I am a dumba*s.’
Barkley’s attempt to undermine O’Neal backfired spectacularly and created another iconic NBA on TNT moment featuring the duo.
Charles Barkley’s ‘Auburn pride’ backfires
Charles Barkley did not forget Shaquille O’Neal’s jibe about Auburn University. In October 2022, the former pronounced the word ‘spectacular’ peculiarly, prompting the latter to bet $10,000 that he couldn’t spell the word. Barkley tried and failed before claiming he needed to write it down. He started writing, and co-host Kenny Smith disappointingly informed him that the spelling was incorrect. Barkley tried again and nailed it. After winning the bet, he bragged about being an Auburn alumnus, saying:
“Let me look at that camera right now. I haven’t had that much to brag on this year, but let me go ahead and say it: War Damn Eagle. That Auburn education pulled me through, America!”
Six months later, O’Neal got his revenge. After the Denver Nuggets‘ Game 1 win in their Western Conference semifinal series against the Suns, Barkley asked guard Jamal Murray his age. The analyst congratulated the Canadian star on the Toronto Maples Leafs‘ playoff series win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. He advised him to enjoy his team’s first postseason series win since the Nuggets guard was 12, which was incorrect. The Leafs’ last playoff series win was in 2004, 19 years before beat the Lightning.
Fans noted Barkley’s gaffe and roasted him and Auburn University.
O’Neal piled on and said, “Auburn University,” while Johnson quipped, “War Eagle.” Barkley was incredible on the court for Auburn. However, it’s evident he did not spend much time in class.
