Shaq and TNT seem to be at odds with one another — and Charles Barkley didn’t miss his chance to rile up his broadcast partner.
A behind-the-scenes clip posted to X shows Shaq seemingly upset about his Orlando jersey retirement ceremony on Feb. 13 because the honor was not broadcast on national television, such as TNT, but instead was only shown on NBA TV.
“They just know they can’t ask me to do nothing for him, that’s all,” Shaq said at the start of the clip, likely referring to TNT.
Warning: Explicit language
“Oh, dude, you can’t be mad about that,” Charles Barkley bit back. “He’s mad they didn’t show his ceremony on regular TV, they showed it on NBA TV. He says y’all didn’t give him any respect. It should have been on TNT.”
Ernie Johnson noted that TNT had a double-header, which is likely why they didn’t broadcast it, although he argued they should have.
“I don’t get mad brother. I’m all good,” Shaq replied. “I never complain.”
“Don’t lie. You said they didn’t show you any respect by putting your s–t on NBA TV,” Barkley said.
“That’s not complaining. I was just telling a f–king snitch. Just telling the people what they think I think,” Shaq replied.
The Magic conducted the ceremony after their 127-113 loss to Oklahoma City, making it a challenge for TNT to showcase it because of another game lined up.
If Shaq was honored pregame, it may be a different story.
Kenny Smith later caught up after getting his headset fixed, saying he thought they had room to air it.
“No, we didn’t have space to do it,” Barkley said.
“If it was in between games, they should have showed it. If it was after and the game was being played, they could have done a double screen,” Smith argued.
“What’s wrong with NBA TV?” Barkley asked.
“He’s a company guy,” Shaq replied. “You are a f–king company guy.”
Barkley then proceeded to joke that with his pull in Phoenix and Cleveland — two places where O’Neal didn’t live up to expectations — they could retire his jersey on TNT.
“When they retire his jersey in Cleveland … we should do the show from there that night,” he laughed.
“A bum can never hurt my feelings,” Shaq said of Barkley, pointing out his four NBA rings to Barkley’s ring-less career. “Trust me. He’s homeless compared to me.”
Shaq spent four seasons in Orlando, where he earned Rookie of the Year in the 1992-93 season and four All-Star nods.
However, he was swept out of the NBA finals by the Rockets in 1995 and packed his bags for L.A., leaving the Magic to dust for several seasons.
He averaged 27.2 points, 12.5 rebounds, and a 58.1 shooting percentage across the four years.
