Watch: Shaquille O'Neal bets $5k to Charles Barkley on a ridiculous bike riding challenge
The longstanding rivalry between Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal is alive and well. The two men have become close friends over the years while hosting "Inside the NBA" alongside Ernie Johnson and Kenny "The Jet" Smith. Whenever the opportunity presents itself, the pair are quick to make jokes at the other's expense.
Whether O'Neal is tripping over a cord on set or Barkley is being forgetful, it's always a fun time on the "NBA on TNT" set. Just recently, Barkley forgot the name of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, confusing him with Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and thus creating a new player "Shai Alexander-Gilcrest." The moment saw Barkley on the receiving end of quite a few laughs, as the Hall of Famer blamed his exhaustion.
That same week, Barkley found himself as the butt of another joke when Shaquille O'Neal bet him $5,000 that he couldn't ride a children's bike. Rather than ride the bigger bike sitting right next to it, Barkley hilariously attempted to sit down on the pink bike – much to the amusement of his co-hosts.
Shaquille O'Neal's turn on the bikes
The "Inside the NBA" crew is always cracking up themselves and fans with their antics, and the bike riding contest was no different.
Before "Sir" Charles Barkley took his turn attempting to ride the bike, it was fellow Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal who took a turn riding the bikes. One by one, O'Neal progressed his way from a full adult bike to the smallest bike on set before then setting his sights on a unicycle. Without much problem, he climbed on the biggest bike, kicking off and riding around the set like he isn't 7-feet tall.
After riding an adult bike, O'Neal then rode a bike meant for a young girl. Afer adjusting the seat, O'Neal put on a spectacle as he rode the bike with training wheels. When he got to the third bike, he tipped it over, joking that it was the same size. That's when things got interesting.
O'Neal then grabbed a bike meant for a toddler. Like something out of a circus, the Lakers legend began to peddle on the tiny bike as Barkley, Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith cheered. Before finally calling it a wrap, O'Neal grabbed the unicycle and held onto the desk while attempting to ride the contraption. As the desk crew watched, Smith tried to impart some wisdom on his colleague.
Unsurprisingly, O'Neal wasn't able to get going, and he gave up trying before getting hurt. In fact, it was Charles Barkley who implored him to give up on the unicycle before seriously hurting himself. Considering the two men love having laughs at the expense of the other, the moment showed that behind the laughs and jokes, they are good friends.
You can catch the "Inside the NBA" crew on TNT every Tuesday. The group will host two games next Tuesday as the LA Lakers take on the Cleveland Cavaliers. Coverage will then shift to the Dallas Mavericks vs. Denver Nuggets game later in the evening as Luka Doncic and the Mavs take on Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets.