A hilarious video showing NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal being launched into a giant Christmas tree by one of the analysts on the set of “NBA on TNT” Tuesday night has gone viral.
During the popular show, the 50-year-old former professional basketball star was sitting at the desk with other analysts Charles Barkley, Ernie Johnson, and Kenny Smith when two of the men decided to race to the show’s big board — and that’s when things went awry, Page Six reported.
As O’Neal and Smith were running for it, the analyst took a big shove against the former NBA star who was close to a giant decorated tree and launched his entire body into it.
“That was bad right there!” Barkley said as he watched the chaos unfold. “That was bad.”
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WATCH:
"The Big Christmas Tree" 🎄🤣 @SHAQ pic.twitter.com/oy9zXNPojj
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) December 7, 2022
Laughter from the set ensued before the NBA legend managed to climb out from under the tree. He then promised that he’d get back at Smith.
“Alright Kenny,” Shaq said after Barkley and Johnson pulled the 7-foot-1 Hall of Famer out. “Kenny, this means war.”
In a later clip, O’Neal spends some time brushing off all the tree needles before he threatens to dive into the tree again and break some more branches. Johnson then said he wouldn’t do it — but Shaq proved him wrong and dove right in.
WATCH:
Shaq: “Say I won’t dive into that tree right now”
Ernie: “You won’t dive into that tree right now”
Shaq: pic.twitter.com/Rf9fQftk6Y— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) December 7, 2022
The official Twitter account for the popular basketball show later tweeted, “Christmas trees are never safe around [Shaq],” as they included a clip from the TNT show on Tuesday up against another show from 2014 showing a similar scene with the former NBA player landing on the ground under a different decorated Christmas tree.
Christmas trees are never safe around @SHAQ 😭🎄 pic.twitter.com/uCq59OArpv
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) December 7, 2022
“NBA on TNT” then posted a hilarious tweet comparing the NBA Hall of Fame player lying under the tree with just his feet sticking out to that of the Wicked Witch of the West under the house in the classic “Wizard of Oz.”
The tweet read simply, “Same Energy,” and it included a laughing, crying face emoji.
Same energy 😂 pic.twitter.com/SsgJ7fukY1
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) December 7, 2022
Related: ‘Extremely Generous’: Shaq Reportedly Foots $25,000 Tab For Entire Restaurant