Shaquille O’Neal isn’t known for subtlety, especially when Charles Barkley is involved. The two share a bond that feels more like brotherhood than broadcast partnership. They tease, they argue, and somehow, it always ends in laughter. Barkley once said, “He is a good dude. He is a little sensitive, but I love bringing it; I love riding him.” That sums it up well. Whether it’s a prank or a jab, Shaq’s over-the-top humor usually has Chuck and the audience cracking up. And there isn’t a small number of those either.

One moment that proves their on-air chemistry is the infamous snake prank. Before an Inside the NBA episode, the crew hid a rubber snake under Barkley’s dressing room pillow. With a hidden camera rolling, the moment Chuck flinched wasn’t missed. “Can y’all quit playing around? I’m trying to come to work and be professional, and y’all put snakes in my stuff. Come on, man,” Barkley shouted, as the crew burst out laughing in the background. Shaq, of course, enjoyed every second of it. That’s the kind of humor that has defined the show for over a decade.

But what recently stirred the internet again was a resurfaced clip that truly tops the prank list. In it, Shaq pretends to urinate on Barkley’s car using a hidden water bottle. He crouches down, grunts for effect, and squeezes the bottle in a perfect stream. He even looked at the camera and said, “Don’t tell Charles”. The scene plays out hilariously on camera. While the video celebrated the legacy of Inside the NBA, that clip stood out like no other.

Sadly, after 12 long seasons, TNT’s Inside the NBA has come to an end. Budget changes and future shifts in broadcasting rights reportedly caused it to shift to ESPN and ABC. But the legacy lives on. That prank, and many others, represent more than comedy; they capture a bond that felt real. With Shaq and Barkley no longer together on screen on TNT, fans will surely miss the chaos.

How Payton got back at Shaquille O’Neal’s alleged rookie hazing

While Shaquille O’Neal’s humor often plays out harmlessly on TV, some of his behind-the-scenes pranks have taken things much further. Former NBA star Gary Payton pulled back the curtain on what might be the Big Diesel’s most shocking prank. “Shaq is a jokester,” Payton told VladTV. “So if one of the rookies would be in the stall, he would take a bucket, and use the bathroom in it for about a week. And then all of the sudden he would pour it on them.”

Payton’s revelation quickly caused a stir, but Shaq wasn’t having it. On his own podcast, he responded directly, calling out what he felt was a wild exaggeration. “My main man Gary Payton went on some podcast and said something. It’s not true, America,” Shaq said. He admitted to being “mean” and “dirty,” but drew the line. “Not a week, not three days, not even two days… It may have been perceived that it was urine, but it wasn’t actually urine.”

Interestingly, the pranks didn’t go unpunished. Payton shared how he and his teammates eventually turned the tables. He got back at Shaq by hiding his clothes, leaving the big man with nothing to wear. “I got his shorts once which he had to wear underneath his thing,” Payton said. “So he had to wear a towel around him and Shaq didn’t care. He’d go outside with the towel on… he’d be freeballing.” That bizarre image alone shows just how far the pranking war went.

Despite the madness, their team chemistry remained solid. In fact, that same group won the 2006 NBA Championship. For Payton, it was his first and only ring. For Shaq, it was the first title he earned without Kobe Bryant. Turns out, even the wildest locker room chaos couldn’t shake a winning team.