Inside the NBA is one of the most entertaining television segments about the NBA. The fellas at the studio, including Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith, and Charles Barkley have too much fun. Sometimes, they look more like guys in a barber shop watching games than people on television. And that is what makes them so fun to watch. In the last episode of Inside the NBA, Shaq was challenged to prove he can still dunk the ball. And the big fella delivered.
Shaq Proves He Can Still Dunk
The whole discussion began when the guys discussed the upcoming matchup in the NBA Cup quarterfinals between the New York Knicks and the Atlanta Hawks. Shaq tried to remind people that Trae Young still plays on the Hawks and he has had pretty good games against the Knicks. To that, Barkley replied
“That was five years ago, brother. We are not living in the past. You could dunk five years ago.”
Of course, Shaq took up the challenge saying he can still dunk. What happened next is a classic on Inside the NBA, with the guys joking about whether Shaq can throw it down or not. Kenny had one of the best replies. First, he challenged Shaq to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. And then, he jokingly said,
“Listen, he can only dunk donuts and coffee right now.”
Shaq – The Dunking Leader
Officially, Dwight Howard is the NBA’s leader in total dunks. We have to note that the NBA didn’t record stats for Shaq’s first four years. There is even a whole Reddit post about how Shaq is the NBA’s leader in dunks.
Official numbers state that Shaq has 2.626 dunks, while Howard has 2.950 dunks in his career. But if we take into account Shaq’s first four years, he would surely be first on that list. Shaq and Dwight have had some heated discussions over the years, and we believe Diesel would love to be the official leader. Here are some interesting stats from that Reddit discussion.
- Shaq had 322 dunks during his rookie season, which would be the record for most dunks in a single season. Officially, Rudy Gobert holds that record with 308 dunks during the 2018-19 season.
- Shaq also holds the unofficial record for most dunks in a game with 13, which also happened during his first four seasons in the league.
Considering Shaq was one of the most vicious dunkers during his early years, he surely tops Howard. One day, Giannis Antetokounmpo might take the first spot on the list. According to stats, Giannis has 2.004 dunks so far. Last year, he had 250 dunks, and with that pace, he can reach first place within five years.
Of course, Shaq would have no problem with that, as he has often said that Giannis is a player that reminds him of himself.
Fans React to Shaq Dunking on Live TV
Fans always react to Inside the NBA’s funny moments. And they had a blast with Shaq’s dunk on live television. Some of the most interesting tweets were:
- Shaq has dunked more times in Inside the NBA Studio than during his Cavs Career
- Shaq could suit up for the Wiz and I would be happy
- Lmaoo shaq dunk on tv and will be hurt after for 3 weeks
- Shaq is 50 and can still dunk eat your words Chuck
