Inside the NBA strays from pure sports talk, and on Thursday night, Shaquille O’Neal’s feet became a part of the conversation. There’s no greater wild card in sports broadcasting than the final hour of Inside the NBA, where Shaq, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson know no bounds. Well, at least Ernie does. The others? Not so much.
Following Russell Westbrook’s shout-out to his daughters for painting his nails after the Denver Nuggets’ 132-123 victory over the Sacramento Kings, Barkley and Shaq reminisced about allowing their daughters to do the same. “My daughter used to do my toenails,” Barkley shared. “Yeah, me too,” Shaq replied, prompting concern from both Barkley and Smith as they recalled the last incident when Shaq exposed his feet. “You subjected your kids to your feet?” Barkley asked incredulously, while Smith quipped, “Shaq, that had to be punishment.”
Leaving this here for whoever wants an update on Shaq’s feet. pic.twitter.com/w6JZPEBgnw
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 24, 2025
And in classic fashion, O’Neal pulled out his size 22 foot, possibly 23 if he hadn’t clipped his toenails recently. On this night, they appeared closer to a size 23. Those nails hardly looked like they could be painted. While they might have been when his kids were younger, now they appeared more absorbent than a piece of tree bark. “Your feet look like a bald eagle’s feet!” Smith exclaimed after taking a good look.
As Shaq proudly wiggled his toes, horror and disgust echoed throughout the studio, with him noting, “I haven’t had time to do my feet” or nails. Find some time, Shaq.
