Leaked footage reveals Shaq is mad at TNT for not airing his jersey retirement ceremony

We can confirm, Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal are the same off-air as they are on-air.

Video of the Inside the NBA crew preparing for Sunday’s All-Star game broadcast was recently leaked and depicted that there may be some hurt feelings over at TNT. Not between its on-air talent, but between TNT and Shaq. According to Barkley, Shaq was bothered that TNT did not air his Orlando Magic jersey retirement ceremony, opting to put it on NBA TV instead.

“They just know they can’t ask me to do nothing for him, that’s all,” Shaq says at the start of the clip, seemingly referring to TNT.

“You can’t be mad about that,” Barkley fired back. “He’s mad they didn’t show his ceremony…they showed it on NBA TV. He says y’all didn’t give him any respect, it should’ve been on TNT.”

Johnson noted that TNT had a doubleheader so they couldn’t air the ceremony, but added that NBA TV should have carried it. Which they did.

“It was, that’s what he’s complaining about,” Barkley explained.

Shaq’s a big deal at TNT, maybe they should have figured out a way to show part of his jersey retirement ceremony live. But the larger issue is the fact that the Orlando Magic probably shouldn’t have retired Shaq’s jersey. He played in Orlando for four seasons, was swept out of the NBA Finals, and spurned them for Los Angeles, sending the Magic into oblivion for the next decade.

And if it was a priority for Shaq to make sure the ceremony was aired by TNT, the Magic didn’t do him any favors. Orlando conducted the jersey retirement ceremony after the game, making it hard for TNT to air it live considering they had another game to show. If the ceremony was pregame, maybe it wouldn’t have been bumped to NBA TV.

“What’s wrong with NBA TV?” Barkley asked.

“He’s a company guy,” Shaq ranted. “You are a f***ing company guy.”

Barkley proceeded to remind Shaq that he has a lot of pull in Phoenix and joked that if he gets his jersey retired by the Suns, they’ll air it on TNT. “When they retire his jersey in Cleveland…we should do the show from there that night,” Barkley continued with a laugh. Obviously, the Suns and Cavaliers won’t be retiring Shaq’s jersey, just like the Rockets won’t be retiring Barkley’s.

“A bum can never hurt my feelings,” Shaq said while citing his four rings to Barkley’s none. “Trust me. He’s homeless compared to me.”

The leaked video clip is more than five minutes long. And aside from a few f-bombs, most of the clip could have been aired by TNT and no one would have realized it wasn’t meant for TV. The dynamic between the Inside the NBA crew on-camera appears to be exactly what it is off-camera. Shaq and Barkley bickering and making jokes, Kenny Smith picking his spots to chime in, all while Ernie Johnson plays the adult in the room to make sure tempers never flare.

[Inside the NBA]