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Charles Barkley defended Shaquille O'Neal and Kenny Smith from haters who were saying that their Christmas tree mishap last Tuesday was scripted. Smith sent O'Neal flying in one of the segments of "Inside the NBA." Some fans were skeptical and thought that it was staged.
In an appearance on "The Dan Patrick Show," Barkley was asked about the incident. Dan Patrick dared the former MVP to tell the truth about what reallly happened. "Sir Charles" defended his co-analysts as he also called them out for always being late.
"I've heard people saying it was fake," Barkley said. "First of all, if you know Kenny and Shaq, they're not gonna be at work early to rehearse nothing. If we go on at six or seven, Kenneth's gonna show at 6:52. He's not gonna be there early."
He continued:
"I think what just really happened, I think Shaq just got off balance. I don't think Kenny really meant to knock him hard into the tree. It's kinda like you're last couple of years when you're an NBA player when you can run, but can't stop. I think he hit him, he just caught him off guard and Shaq couldn't just stop."
On Tuesday's episode of "Inside the NBA," the crew was discussing the game between the LA Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers. As part of their tradition of explaining plays from the game, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O'Neal tried to race to the studio's humongous screen.
In an unexpected turn of events, Smith was able to knock down the 360-pound O'Neal into the Christmas tree. While some might be skeptical of the hilarious incident, the Lakers legend was nudged by Smith, and the momentum sent him flying.
Shaquille O'Neal sent himself flying to the Christmas tree
A few minutes after Kenny Smith sent Shaquille O'Neal into the Christmas Tree, the Hall of Fame big man wanted more. Ernie Johnson challenged O'Neal that he wouldn't dive head first into the tree.
"There's no way you'll dive into that tree right now," Johnson said.
"Say I won't dive into that tree right now," O'Neal replied.
"You won't dive into that tree right now," Johnson dared.
"Face first. Face first," O'Neal said before diving into the Christmas tree, destroying branches and gifts underneath.
It should also be noted that Tuesday's mishaps were not the first time Shaquille O'Neal crashed into a Christmas tree.
Seven years earlier, O'Neal was sent flying after Kenny Smith avoided a tackle from him. The co-hosts were also racing to the big board at the time.
If you go back a decade ago, a Christmas tree fell on Shaq. While he was trying to hit a shot inside the studio, a man wearing a Chris Bosh mask pushed the tree into the four-time champ. It was the height of Shaq's beef with Bosh.
