Son Shaqir Confirms the Real Reason After Shaquille O’Neal Leaves ‘Inside the NBA’ Mid-Show

Last Tuesday night, mid‑analysis of Kawhi Leonard’s heroic 39‑point outburst, cameras cut to an empty chair where Shaquille O’Neal once sat—he’d bolted off set without a word. Charles Barkley froze, Kenny Smith stifled a grin, and the studio erupted into slow‑mo replays questioning, “Where’d Shaq go?”

With no warning or explanation, the giant man on a mission strode off set. “Go ahead, keep talking, gents,” he said casually as he strolled off set. Charles Barkley looked stunned. “Uh… we’re on TV,” he muttered, still confused. It didn’t take long before laughter filled the studio. Even the camera crew got in on the fun, replaying the scene in slow motion.

Viewers first blamed his olive‑oil cleanse for the sudden exit. Kenny Smith teased that it was the olive oil doing its job. Even Shaq played along, blaming Barkley for holding up the commercial. But while fans kept guessing, someone else delivered the real scoop. His son Shaqir stepped in with a single emoji comment—””. It was posted under the Instagram post sharing the incident, with the caption, “Shaq had to go deliver live on TV,” confirming what we were all thinking but didn’t want to say.

After the slow‑mo replay wrapped, Barkley quipped, “Take some matches with you!” he shouted as Shaq walked away. The jokes kept rolling, and so did the laughter. Between Shaq’s hilarious exit and Shaqir’s cheeky reveal, fans were treated to one of the show’s funniest moments yet. Only Inside the NBA could turn a bathroom break into broadcast gold. And what’s more interesting is this all took place while the crew was discussing Kawhi Leonard’s historic stat line! Things sure took an absurd turn no one could’ve seen coming, well maybe Shaq did!

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