Inside the NBA isn’t really a basketball analysis show anymore. It’s more of a comedy and entertainment show.
What happened with Shaq yesterday on Thursday’s episode proves that.
The big fella played the “First Name Game” where he had to guess the first names of NBA players. They weren’t superstars, but they weren’t the end-of-the-bench guys, either. These are legitimate rotation players on teams fighting for playoff position.
So, of course, as one of the lead analysts on set along with Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley, one would assume Shaq should be able to knock this out fairly easily, right?
Wrong. Absolutely not. Here’s a look.
"Do I get a lifeline?" 😭
“Shaq’s First Name Game” went as expected. pic.twitter.com/qMygFgNHax
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 26, 2021
He only got one of the names correct — it was Desmond Bane of the Grizzlies. And it feels like someone totally gave him the answer.
Yes, this was hilarious. Seeing Shaq guess these names so incorrectly is television gold. Same thing when they do this to Charles Barkley with his “Who He Play For?” game.
But…it’s also really, really bad. Shaq is supposed to be one of the “analysts” on set. But what sort of thoughtful analysis can we get when he doesn’t even know these players’ names?
It’s all jokes. Inside the NBA is really, really funny. But at some point, they should probably have one of their lead analysts take the game more seriously.
Looks like Christian Wood may have been right. Shaq looks like a casual.
