Charles Barkley has had the great pleasure of hosting SNL on four occasions. Given all these opportunities, it’s hard to believe Barkley wouldn’t take the time to mock his longtime nemesis, Shaquille O’Neal. The moment came during Barkley’s return to the show in 2012, where he played his TNT co-host in a skit. Barkley appeared on the show, dressed as Shaq and did an impeccable job, while Kenan Thompson played Chuck.
The SNL actor did a great job playing Sir Charles, while roasting Shaq. [played by Barkley] on every possible occasion. On the other hand, Barkley played a rather simplified version of O’Neal, a trope that would follow O’Neal for the rest of his career. In one of those segments, the team showed a version of Shaq who wasn’t good at telling stories.
As soon as the co-host pulled out a “baby hat” To start an argument, Shaq started another “foolish” story as Barkley (playing Shaq) said:
“I had to use a bunny once, when I was a baby.”
Unbeknownst to many, O’Neal had difficulty launching his career as an analyst in ‘Inside the NBA’ in 2011-12. He was not as articulate, attentive and proactive as he is now. He was often relegated to being Barkley’s punching bag, which often led to heated arguments on the set of the show.
Returning to Barkley’s 2012 SNL Show, the former NBA player would be joined by SNL legend Bill Hader, who played Ernie Johnson, and Jay Pharoah, who played Kenny ‘the Jet’ Smith. The trio would end up joining Shaq as he (Barkley) took insult after insult while maintaining an absolutely stoic expression. The show also used lines from the show, “I’d rather watch Free Willy 2 than Kazaam 1,” causing fans to relive iconic moments from that show.
Shaq became a lovable giant
After 19 seasons in the NBA, Shaquille O’Neal hung up his shoes and decided to join the world of broadcasting. After retiring from the Boston Celtics, Shaq already had his eyes set on it, as he had already signed for ‘Inside the NBA’ as a studio analyst.
Shaq quickly turned the TNT gig into a full-time job, as the show began to positively transform. O’Neal had his rookie moments during his first few seasons, but little by little he regained his prowess.
Shaquille O’Neal soon got his segment called “Shaqtin a fool”. It was an instant success and continues to this day.
It’s safe to say that Warner Brothers didn’t make a mistake recruiting Shaq to TNT.
In fact, without Shaq and Charles, the program would have had a hard time combating ESPN, with Skip Bayles and Stephen A. Smith.
But it all worked out, as the TNT team won more than six Emmy Awards for their fantastic contributions to the sport of basketball and the art of broadcasting.
