Shaq Walks Off ‘Inside the NBA’ Set After Awkward Jay-Z Exchange

Legendary NBA big man Shaquille O’Neal strode off the set of TNT’s Inside the NBA after two of the show’s other hosts had an exchange that touched on rapper Jay-Z, who was accused recently of raping a 13-year-old girl alongside disgraced hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs.

Jay-Z, officially named Shawn Carter, has vigorously denied an unnamed woman’s claim in a lawsuit that he and Combs, who is awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges, raped her at an afterparty for the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards.

During the Tuesday night episode of Inside the NBA, a light-hearted sports program that typically steers away from contentious news stories, co-host and former NBA player Kenny Smith was trying to draw an analogy to the prospect of a free throw contest between himself and analyst Stephen A. Smith—who never played in the pros.

He seemed to be trying to compare the situation to a professional rapper taking on an amateur, but he made a poor choice of which rapper to reference.

“You think Jay-Z or—,” Smith started to say, but Barkley cut him off.

“Probably not a good time right now,” Barkley remarked, hinting at the rap star’s fresh scandal.

The set burst into hysterics. Laughter could be heard off screen as Smith, grinning, said several times to Barkley, “You are a silly man.”

O’Neal, meanwhile, seemed so caught off guard by Barkley’s remark that he needed a moment to compose himself. He walked off set, keeping his face away from the camera and taking refuge behind a wall.

This move only seemed to fuel the other hosts’ laughter.