Wow… we missed this one! Going to have to go back on the Tube and find it for a good laugh. The latest “friendly bet” between our man Shaq and Sir Charles Barkley on the set of “Inside the NBA.” Could Sir Charles ride a little kid’s bike? Is that even possible? Read on…
So yes, it happened on live TV not long ago (as of this posting). O’Neal bet co-host Charles Barkley $5,000 that he couldn’t ride a children’s bicycle through their set during the show one night.
It all started after the LA Clippers beat the Portland Trail Blazers in a late-night finish (for us east coast viewers). Part of the show included a little video of Shaq riding a scooter in the streets on his off day.
“Inside” co-hosts Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, and Barkley thought bringing in other bicycles for O’Neal to try would be funny. And yes, Shaq was able to successfully ride an adult bicycle around the studio.
Things got a lot more dicey when it came time for the 7’1″ O’Neal to try out a tiny little pink bike. Yes, training wheels included. O’Neal nearly peddled right into one of the studio cameras. Barkley called out, “Please crash into something.”
One thing led to another, with O’Neal trying out smaller bikes, until the last one, which was so small, he couldn’t sit on it. Then he spotted a unicycle, but his co-hosts pleaded with him not to ride it.
Again, Sir Charles had the best comment: “Man, please don’t hurt yourself. Cause I’m gonna be laughing. I don’t wanna be laughing with nobody getting hurt.”
Still, Shaq did give it a try, but was unable to make it work. After all that, O’Neal challenged Barkley to ride the pink bike with training wheels on it.
That’s when the cash challenge was issued. Shaq: “Can you ride that pink bike, Chuck? No way, five grand, Chuck, you ride that bike. Five grand.”
Kenny Smith used the opportunity to take a weight-related shot at Barkley. “Well, the tires are gonna get flat,” he said.
The 6’6″ Barkley quickly accepted the challenge. It almost worked… but Barkley quickly found out he couldn’t get his feet on the pedals when he sat on the bicycle seat. “I can’t do it, man,” he finally admitted.
He tried… and ended up pushing himself on the bike around the studio a bit, but it didn’t really work. “That’s a dag-gone shame,” Smith added disappointedly. “That’s a shame.”
“Hey man, leave me alone,” Barkley told Smith as he walked behind the desk, presumably $5,000 poorer. The Inside crew strikes again!