Watch: "First of all, Kenny is a vegetarian" - Charles Barkley hilariously plays detective as both he and Shaquille O'Neal speculate on Kenny Smith's absence on NBA on TNT

The Inside the NBA crew on the Today Show [Source: Today Show]

With Kenny Smith of the Inside crew missing the last day of regular-season action due to illness, Charles Barkley played the role of detective along with Shaquille O'Neal to uncover the truth behind his absence.

Ernie Johnson started the show by mentioning that Smith would continue to be absent from the panel after a bad case of food poisoning. While this was unfortunate news for the crew and fans, Barkley was not convinced in the slightest.

Putting his best detective act on, Charles Barkley started by saying:

"First of all, let me tel you why he's lying. He just wanted an extra couple of days at home. First of all, Kenny's a vegetarian."

The comment itself received a hilarious reaction from Shaquille O'Neal, who proclaimed that Detective Barkley was on the scene. However, the Chuckster was not finished with his deduction.

"I can get sick eating chitlins, meatballs, burgers and pizza. Nobody get that broccolini crap, the asparagus he be eating. Those black bean burgers. There's no way that crap can make you sick."

Barkley hilariously went on to deny the existence of tofu as well while going off about Smith's absence. But Shaquille O'Neal filled in quickly as he claimed to have evidence of Smith's whereabouts.

"Ernie, I have access to satellite drones. I know where he's at, I'm just trying to get confirmation that we have him. I will be showing you where he's at very soon."

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With an extremely hostile environment awaiting Kenny Smith upon return, the Inside crew continues to offer hysterical pearls of entertainment on their show.

.@SHAQ providing an update from @TheJetOnTNT 🤣 https://t.co/V3bM1eBSm5

The ongoing feud between Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal and Kenny Smith

Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith at an NCAA game

An essential aspect of the viewer experience for Inside the NBA is the consistent back-and-forth between the former NBA players. With a star-studded panel, the difference in opinion is always a brewing pot for amusing content.

In this regard, the feud itself is humorous. With Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley arguing about the most random things, Kenny Smith often chimes in to add fuel to the fire.

Iconic arguments such as the gas price debate continue to hold the attention of viewers among valuable assessments and analysis of games.

The Biden White House needs to sign Shaq to argue gas prices aren’t that bad. https://t.co/ni9RYlgzO5

However, the crew continues to share a good relationship. Often playing pranks and directing comments to rile each other up, the Inside crew continues to be one of the best and most entertaining panels on television.

With the regular-season coming to an end, the NBA will be on break till April 12th to prepare for the Play-In tournament. With four teams in each conference fighting for a chance to make it to the playoffs, the highly competitive environment promises to be an entertaining spectacle.