The NBA’s inaugural play-in tournament began on Tuesday night between the Charlotte Hornets and Indiana Pacers, but there was something — someone, rather — missing from the pregame show on TNT.
Shaquille O’Neal.
The Big Diesel was nowhere to be found as the NBA on TNT began its play-in tournament coverage, much to the amusement of the rest of the crew.
“What kind of a dummy misses the first night of the playoffs” Charles Barkley asked.
Kenny Smith then tried FaceTiming Shaq to see when he would arrive at the studio.
As the pregame show went on without O’Neal, he tried to casually sneak into his seat on the far left corner of the desk during a segment.
“There he is, sneaking in,” Ernie Johnson said.
“You can’t sneak in at 7 [foot] 2,” O’Neal quipped back.
So, why was O’Neal so late to the show?
It was a classic schedule mix up. O’Neal said he thought the show started at 6:30, rather than 5:30.
The good news, though? O’Neal was seated at the desk before the game had tipped off. So, he at least had that work in his favor.
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