Shaquille O'Neal made his return to Studio J on Wednesday after missing TNT's last two NBA playoffs broadcasts. This is after O'Neal had to attend to other work commitments in New York City, thereby leaving an empty seat for the "Inside the NBA" crew.
It was Jalen Rose who sat in for O'Neal on Sunday, but on Tuesday, TNT decided to bring in Dwight Howard to fill the void. Howard was clearly excited to take over for O'Neal, albeit temporarily, as the Hall of Fame big man enjoyed his time in the spotlight.
One of the first things O'Neal did upon his return on Wednesday, though, was to clean his desk. This is after Howard decided to put his feet up on it as he got himself comfortable in O'Neal's seat.
Dwight Howard and Shaquille O'Neal
Dwight Howard and Shaquille O'Neal in 2020
Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
At that point, Charles Barkley decided to make his thoughts on Howard's guesting very clear.
"I thought it was a very pleasant night with [Howard] and Jalen (Rose)," Barkley said. "I thought it was awesome."
Kenny Smith interrupted Barkley by saying that the latter was involved in the decision to bring Howard in amid O'Neal's absence.
"C'mon man," Smith said. "That was too strategic that y'all picked Dwight Howard."
"Who is we?" Barkley asked.
"You," O'Neal accused.
Barkley responded by saying that he had "nothing to do with that," before Smith hilariously revealed that he had supposedly seen Barkley's message in the group text demanding that Howard be brought in to replace O'Neal.
Even Ernie Johnson had to chime in on the fun, saying that he thought Howard was "sensational" in front of the camera. Barkley continued praising the former Los Angeles Lakers center, which drew a blunt reaction from O'Neal.
"That's alright," O'Neal said. "... Chuck, STYA. Shut your (expletive) up."
It was all in good fun, though, and the entire crew shared a laugh during the light-hearted moment.
The fact of the matter is that O'Neal is back on his desk after a brief hiatus. Whether or not Howard comes back anytime soon remains to be seen.