Shaquille O’Neal proved he hasn’t lost his jumping ability with age by popping into TNT’s Studio J during Tuesday’s episode of Inside The NBA.
As they routinely do on the program, the 52-year-old Hall of Famer and his colleagues Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith got into a fun verbal exchange. This time, the final two insisted that O’Neal could no longer dunk like he did during his playing days.
After a back and forth, O’Neal asked the backstage staff to give him a ball to prove his fellow legends wrong.
As O’Neal persisted, Smith began listing his injuries when Barkley told the producers, “Don’t give him a damn, the guy killed himself on national television.”
Barkley continued to discourage O’Neal, telling him to “check your ego at the door.” Nevertheless, the four-time champion took off his blazer, walked across the playing field in the studio and dunked the ball.
“Aren’t you entertained,” O’Neal exclaimed as he walked back to the desk to the cheers and laughter of his colleague.
Shaquille O’Neal surprised his colleagues and fans on Tuesday during Inside the NBA
Smith even gave his colleague a standing ovation when Ernie Johnson seemed relieved that O’Neal didn’t hurt himself when he turned the clock back.
As Barkley, Smith and Johnson’s concern turned to awe, fans took to social media to praise O’Neal for proving Father Time wrong and making their love for the show known.
“52 and still bullying the rim like he owes him money,” one user wrote.
“He could definitely start in Washington,” another added.
“These four are gold together,” agreed a fourth.
“I can literally watch these guys for hours,” wrote a fourth. “They’re the best team on TV and it’s not even close!”
“@NBAonTNT is better than the actual @NBA games,” said a fifth.
O’Neal retired from the NBA in 2011 after 19 seasons in the NBA. The big man had stints with the Magic, Lakers, Heat, Suns, Cavaliers and Celtics during his storied career.
The program will air on ESPN next year after TNT’s broadcast rights deal with the NBA is finalized.