Asked to name Miami Heat players outside of the main stars, Shaquille O’Neal couldn’t do it. While the big man was laughing and it was meant to be humorous, quite a few fans didn’t find it funny.
Inside the NBA is back again, with Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, and Shaquille O’Neal. One of the most popular sports shows ever, the chemistry between the four men is what makes the show so great. ‘Chuck and Shaq’ in particular are known for their occasionally blasé attitudes.
The show has historically had a popular segment called, ‘Who he play for?’ Barkley tries to guess what NBA team a player is on, and he has often failed to do so correctly in the past. While their general ignorance and indifference is sometimes taken as comedy, some fans are getting tired of it.
Shaquille O’Neal named Tyler Herro when asked about Miami Heat players, and fans didn’t enjoy it
The latest incident occurred on the second night of the new NBA season. During their first show of 2026-27, O’Neal was asked to name a Heat player not including Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bam Adebayo, Klay Thompson, and Andrew Wiggins.
Shaq, who won a championship in Miami, could not answer correctly, though. He named Tyler Herro, who is now with the Milwaukee Bucks. And while the big man played it off as a joke, fans online weren’t having it.
“These guys are Hall of Famers and also complete casuals,” one fan said. “Can we stop this stupid, “I don’t care enough to know” type bit?” another fan asked. “This isn’t funny. Game 1 of the season they have no clue what they’re talking about,” a third fan claimed.
“This why their show be on mute whenever it be on my TV,” a different fan stated. “These old heads don’t watch games yet steady giving their opinions,” a fifth fan observed. “Shaq just proved the Heat’s depth is a joke, y’all don’t get it,” a sixth fan said.
Whether he meant it as a joke or not, it seems to have drawn the ire of a fair few fans on social media. Not that the Inside the NBA crew is likely to care too much about that. Whether it is funny or not is a matter of personal opinion, but the show remains undefeated at generating conversations.
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