Inside the NBA is officially closing a chapter as the NBA on TNT says goodbye with the show transitioning to ESPN beginning next season.
There’s been a lot of wonder and speculation over what Inside the NBA will look like when it moves from TNT to ESPN. Whatever the future holds, all NBA fans hope that ESPN keeps the show as is and doesn’t try to tinker with what has been a winning formula for years.
What has made the program so special over the years isn’t its Xs and Os basketball analysis, it’s the entertainment and laughs that the show has brought week after week and night after night for such a long time.
So in honor of Inside the NBA ending its historic run with the NBA on TNT, we are counting down the Top 10 funniest moments on the show so far. And while there are thousands of moments that we could choose from, we have done the impossible and narrowed it down to these 10 incredible clips.
10) Shaq vs. Christmas tree
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Inside the NBA has always showcased physical comedy with its stars, especially when Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal get hyped up going at each other. But the funniest moment was Kenny Smith shoving Shaq into a Christmas tree on the set when they tried to race to the big screen for halftime analysis.
9) Charles Barkley meets Ron Burgundy
RIP💔 https://t.co/YBRlN7pKN8 pic.twitter.com/di00btAxSv
— sophie (@lilllsophie) June 2, 2025
Like San Diego local news legend Ron Burgundy, Charles Barkley will read anything that comes on that teleprompter. Even when he makes fun of himself unexpectedly during an ad read.
8) The hot chip challenge
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If Inside the NBA wasn’t getting resurrected at ESPN, the cast could have made a second life doing their own version of Hot Ones. Watching Shaq trying to control himself and act tough while his mouth was turning into molten lava was an incredible sight.
7) JAVAAAAALLLLLLE McGEEEEEEEE
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“Shaqtin’ A Fool” was one of the great additions to Inside the NBA over the years and its biggest star was big man JaVale McGee. Incredibly, there is enough footage for a near seven-minute package of all the “highlights” from his NBA career. But there were also so many other great Shaqtin’ moments, with this Otto Porter gem being a personal favorite.
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6) The crumpled paper
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Head injuries are no laughing matter in sports. But Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal lost it when it was reported by Chris Haynes that Lakers star Anthony Davis left the game in a wheelchair after getting hit in the head during a game. It started when Shaq crumpled his paper to suppress his laughter and then totally devolved from there.
5) A police presence?!?
Throwback to this ICONIC Inside the NBA moment —
Chuck and Shaq are dying laughing talking about a “police presence.” 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
(h/t @oldskoolbballx)
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) June 1, 2025
After a game in 2018, things got extra chippy in a game between the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers. It was so intense that apparently the LAPD was called to keep things called in the locker room. That sent the Inside the NBA crew into hysterics.
4) Galveston
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Charles Barkley’s feud with San Antonio may have been the longest running gag on Inside the NBA but his comments about another Texas city may be his funniest. With the Pelicans getting blown out by the Thunder in last year’s playoffs, Chuck and Shaq did not deem them worthy of Cancun. Instead, they wanted them to go to the non-vacation destination of Galveston. Sorry, Glen Campbell.
3) Chuck talks too much
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“It’s supposed to be 1, 2, 3, not 1, 2, back to 1.” You know it’s a hilarious moment when even Ernie Johnson breaks down in laughter because he can’t control himself.
2) All gas, no brakes
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While J. Robert Oppenheimer found a way to split the atom, Shaquille O’Neal found a way to pay less money for gas by simply refilling his tank when it got to halfway. It’s the most brilliant four minutes to ever air on a sports show.
1) Ni hao!
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The funniest and most iconic Inside the NBA moment came during the classic game of “Who He Play For?” where Charles Barkley tries to guess where NBA journeymen are currently playing. When it came to Aaron Brooks, Barkley correctly guessed “China or Japan.” But then when Shaquille O’Neal turned over the whiteboard with Chinese symbols and shouted out the Guangdong Tigers, one of the best ever internet memes was born.
