When a Kobe Bryant Joke Made Shaquille O’Neal Walk Out of the Studio Mid Show

Shaquille O’Neal is full of zeal as an analyst on ‘Inside the NBA’ on TNT. The show is always filled with funny segments that the audience love. Charles Barkley and O’Neal are the fan favorites. The duo engages in so much banter against each other which often ends in humiliation.

A particular segment on the show had the hosts discussing the cover of Drake’s new album. It released in 2016 and was titled ‘Views.’ The album cover had Drake atop the CN Tower in Toronto.

Shaquille O’Neal Exits the Studio after looking at his meme

The hosts were having a good time roasting each other with photoshopped memes based on Drake’s album. Ernie Johnson’s edit was up first, followed by Kenny Smith’s version of the cover. 

They all had a good laugh at the first two versions and the air was good inside the studio. Shaquille O’Neal was next. It was his turn to be on the edit for the fans to witness. What came next made O’Neal so mad that he walked out of the studio.

The edit had Kobe Bryant sitting on top of the Staples Center. Now this wouldn’t have made Shaq angry. Then he saw himself hovering behind Kobe, holding on to his shoulders while the words read ‘Views from Kobe’s shoulders.’

Shaquille O’Neal got up from his seat and willingly walked out of the studio expressing his anger over the meme. He went through the exit door while the cameraman was following him. The Lakers legend then vented out his anger by destroying a few items backstage.

Shaquille O’Neal had a complicated relationship with Kobe Bryant during the pair’s playing days. They both exchanged words and found it hard to get along as teammates. Although his beef with Bryant was in the past, everything was sorted out between them and things were normal at that point. However, the producers of the show wanted to dig it out and reopen it to the world. 

The intention was to exhibit to Shaq that he was carried by Kobe on his shoulders in their quest for glory with the Lakers team. Though he doesn’t mind talking about their roadblocks in the early 2000s, this legendary meme ‘Views from Kobe’s shoulders’ had taken it too far which left Shaq fuming.