We've laughed together.
Quite a bit.
We've also cried, argued, grieved, taken a tumble, taken a stand, changed diapers, made "awful" Christmas cookies and, of course, talked a lot of basketball with Ernie, Kenny, Chuck and Shaq over the years on TNT's "Inside the NBA."
At least it felt as if we were active participants.
It will be a shame if next season will be the last time we'll be able to do it all with that group, although that outcome seems inevitable after the NBA snubbed TNT in its latest media rights deal, and Charles Barkley's recent announcement that he will retire from TV after one more year on the show.
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"Inside the NBA" started in 1989, the same year TNT began broadcasting NBA games. Ernie Johnson became the show's first permanent host the following year and has held the role ever since. Kenny Smith joined him as an analyst in 1998 and Barkley did the same in 2000. The show really hit its stride when Shaquille O’Neal came aboard as the third analyst starting with the 2011-12 season.
Here's a look back at some of the show's most memorable moments.
Clippers-Rockets conflict was no laughing matter ... no, wait, it totally was (2018)
Tensions might have been high at Staples Center on Jan. 16, 2018, the night Chris Paul played the Clippers for the first time since his trade to the Houston Rockets, but the atmosphere was downright jovial in the "Inside the NBA" studio.
Barkley and O'Neal were in stitches over a report that Paul and other members of the Rockets tried to force their way into the Clippers' locker room after the game for a confrontation. They were particularly tickled by the part of the story that mentioned police might have been called over the incident.
“I played in the NBA for 16 years, and I’ve been on TV 18 years. It’s the first time I’ve heard ‘police presence,’” Barkley managed to say while O’Neal howled with laughter, eventually throwing a handful of papers into the air in amusem*nt.
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When he was finally able to put a few sentences together, O’Neal acted out how such an emergency call might have sounded.
“Hello, police? Chris Paul tried to beat me up,” O’Neal sputtered out. “Hey, this is Blake Griffin. Chris Paul tried to get in the locker room. Get down here and save me.”
Barkley joined in with a fake phone conversation of his own.
“I’m 6-10, 225, one of the most powerful players in the NBA, but Chris Paul trying to get in here and kick my ass,” Barkley said. “Get down here quick.”
Chuck's bracelet (2016)
It all started with Smith asking Barkley where he got the bracelet he was wearing one night in 2016 ... and it ended with O'Neal spewing water all over the set.
Sure, we could tell you the story, but it's much funnier if you listen to Barkley tell it — just learn from O'Neal's mistake and don't take a large gulp of your beverage as Barkley utters the line, "Hey, man, whatever your name is, thank you for my bracelet."
Don't interrupt Jack ... we mean, Shaq (2019)
If you're going to interrupt O'Neal, you better have a good take. Or at least know the correct name of the player you're talking about.
Better yet, just don't interrupt O'Neal.
Barkley found that out the hard way in 2019 during a discussion about the opening game of the Portland-Denver Western Conference semifinal series, when he cut off O'Neal to suggest the Trail Blazers would benefit from using Alex Len to defend Denver star Nikola Jokic — which, in fact, would have been difficult to do because Len played for the Atlanta Hawks.
Johnson and Smith were amused by the gaffe, but O'Neal was not. Legitimately peeved about Barkley's interruption, O'Neal refused to answer Johnson's question about the playoff series.
"Go back over there to Know-It-All," O'Neal said.
Johnson couldn't contain his amusem*nt, particularly after O'Neal uttered the line, "Supposed to be one-two-three, not one-two-back to one," in reference to the analysts' speaking order. The normally reserved host covered his face, pounded on the desk and finally had to step to the back of the set doubled over in laughter.
When the segment cut to commercial, O'Neal was still griping and Johnson was still laughing.
'Google me, Chuck' (2018)
Want to see more of O'Neal and Barkley going at each other? Here's one that escalated quickly.
Barkley was talking about how then-Toronto Raptors coach Dwane Casey needed to repair his relationship with DeMar DeRozan after benching the star player during a 2018 playoff game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. O'Neal objected quickly and loudly, telling Barkley to "stop babying these players."
"You got babied, that's why you ain't win," O'Neal told Barkley.
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Barkley replied, "I didn't have Dwyane Wade and Kobe Bryant carrying me up and down the court."
While it didn't really resolve the argument about Casey, O'Neal's retort was pretty much a mic drop.
"I got three Finals MVPs, Chuck," O'Neal shouted. "Google me, Chuck!"
Kenny walks out in support of NBA players protest (2020)
Not all of the show's most memorable moments involved fun and games.
In the aftermath of the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, in Kenosha, Wis., the Milwaukee Bucks refused to come out of the locker room for their scheduled playoff game against the Orlando Magic on Aug. 26, 2020. Other teams indicated they would not play as well, leading the NBA to postpone all three games scheduled for that day (more postponements followed before play resumed three days later).
"Inside the NBA" started its broadcast that night with Johnson recapping the events, followed by Barkley offering his thoughts on the matter.
Then it was Smith's turn.
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“This is tough. Right now my head is, like, ready to explode and the thoughts of what’s going on," Smith said. "And, uh, I don’t know if I’m even appropriate enough to say it, what the players are feeling and how they’re feeling. And, um, I haven’t talked to any of the players.
"As a Black man, as a former player, I think it’s best for me to support the players and just not be here tonight" — Smith then unplugged his microphone and put it on the desk as he finished speaking — "and figure out what happens after that.”
Smith then walked off the set.
"I respect that," Johnson said.
Christmas cookies (2023)
The guys got into the holiday spirit last year with a cookie decorating contest. The premise was simple — use the icing and other edible decorations to draw a Christmas tree on the cookie. We won't tell who won, but here are some hints about who did not win:
— Johnson's reaction to Barkley's design: "So are you aware this is supposed to be a Christmas tree?"
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— Smith's reaction to Barkley's decoration (while shouting, laughing and pointing): "What is that?!?!?"
— O'Neal's answer to Smith's question regarding Barkley's cookie: "Awful."
'Down goes Shaq!' (2016)
O'Neal wasn't hurt — and neither was anyone else. So it's OK to laugh at this clip of the 7-foot-1, 325-pound O'Neal falling face first off the stage while attempting to beat Smith in a race to the video board (it's a thing they do).
"Down goes Shaq! Down goes Shaq!" a laughing Smith yelled while standing over the crumpled big man, who then tackled his fellow analyst to the ground.
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O'Neal blamed Johnson, who sits immediately to his left, saying the host somehow wrapped a cord around his leg during the segment. "How am I gonna reach over there and tie that around your leg while you're sitting there?" Johnson retorted.
O'Neal ended up getting the last laugh though. After Smith returned to his chair, O'Neal jogged over and touched the board first to technically win the race.
Chuck, don't ever change (another diaper) (2008)
To mark Smith's return to the show following the birth of son Malloy Adrian Smith in May 2008, the crew held a diaper-changing challenge between the new dad and Barkley.
Smith, who had plenty of very recent experience in the area, chastised Barkley for not sanitizing his hands before handling his doll. "There's crap in here," Barkley retorted, pointing to the diaper. "My hand's cleaner than crap!"
When Barkley removed his doll's diaper, he found a large surprise inside (Johnson later revealed it was a Baby Ruth candy bar). Barkley made no effort to wipe the baby and instead just poured on some powder before quickly putting on the new diaper.
All three men were laughing so hard they had trouble standing.
"I hope you don't clean yourself like that," Smith finally managed to gasp.
Shaq remembers 'little brother' Kobe Bryant (2020)
Two days after the death of Kobe Bryant, his daughter, Gianna, and seven others in a helicopter crash Jan. 26, 2020, the "Inside the NBA" crew recorded a show paying tribute to the Lakers legend on the court of an empty Staples Center.
With tears streaming down his face, O'Neal spoke from the heart about his former teammate and "little brother" for nearly seven minutes.
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"The fact that we're not going to be able to joke at his Hall of Fame ceremony," O'Neal said as Johnson put a comforting arm around him. "We're not going to be able to say, 'Ha! I got five [championships], you got four.' The fact that we're not going to be able to say, 'If we would've stayed together, we could've got 10.' Those are the things that you can't get back."
The following year, Johnson said of that broadcast, "It was one of those days where it just told you that this job we’re doing can sometimes go above and beyond being just a basketball show.”
'Ernie, you need to lean on us' (2021)
Less than two years later, Johnson took some time off from the show after the death of his son, Michael, at age 33. "Inside the NBA" paid tribute to Michael Johnson during Ernie's absence, with O'Neal, Barkley and Smith offering comfort and support for their close friend and coworker.
"To see a great man like this hurt, it just makes all of us hurt," O'Neal said. "Ernie, you know I love you, you know we love you. Condolences to you and your family, and whatever you need from us, you know I'm gonna be there for the rest of my life."
Smith said: "Ernie is usually the person that we lean on. So Ernie, this is the first time you need to lean on us."
When he returned to the show on Nov. 9, 2021, Johnson revealed he had done just that.
"I listened to what you all said last week, and Kenny you said it's time for me to lean on you and my family did exactly that, leaning on the Turner family, friends, our faith because we lost our son Michael on Oct. 29," Johnson said.
"So to all of you out there, let me just say thank you for all the texts, phone calls, to all of you who used social media in the kindest and most compassionate way possible. It's just so overwhelming for our family, so thank you so much for that. And we're gonna make it, and we're carrying on and we know that Michael's in better hands than ours right now."
Shaq math doesn't add up (2018)
A debate broke out in April 2018 after Smith said he wanted to buy a particular car but was worried about having to spend $80 to fill up the tank.
O'Neal's solution? Don't wait until the gas gauge hits E. Then it won't cost as much to get it back up to full.
Smith and Johnson tried to explain that Smith eventually would pay the same amount of money to fuel up the car while adding more trips to the gas station.
But O'Neal couldn't wrap his head around that explanation and remained convinced there was nothing wrong with his logic or math.
"Kenny, if you let it get down to zero, right?" O'Neal said in what was at least his third attempt to explain himself. "Then you gotta pay 80 to fill it back up."
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"Right," Smith said.
O'Neal continued: "OK, but if you let it get to half by Wednesday, then you pay 20" — at which point Smith shouts “No!” — "it goes back up to full.”
When Johnson pointed out that 40, not 20, is half of 80, O'Neal stated, "But no, listen to what I’m saying.”
Johnson replied dryly, "I am."
Neither side budged during the conversation, which finally ended after Smith accurately observed that the segment had devolved into a "Who's on first?" routine.
'I don't do pedicures' ... um, yeah, we can tell (2017)
The Cavaliers' victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of the 2017 Eastern Conference finals was a blowout from the beginning. So perhaps in an effort to keep viewers interested at halftime, O'Neal pulled out quite the conversation piece.
His gigantic, grotesque foot with its mangled big toe and icky toenails.
“I don’t do pedicures,” said O’Neal, stating the obvious.
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His son, Shareef O'Neal, who was 17 at the time, tweeted an apology to "whoever saw my dads toes on TV."
Barkley said he was asked what looked worse, the Celtics' defense that night or O'Neal's feet.
O'Neal, who scored 28,596 points during his Hall of Fame career, had a comeback ready for all the foot-shamers.
“You know what those feet look like?” he said. “Twenty-eight thousand points.”
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
