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Shaq Has His First Great Moment On TNT

TNT’s Shaq experiment is in its opening week, and it’s been a mixed bag so far. Diesel has been funny in spots, but some have complained about the Big Analytical’s Big Monotone: Shaq’s voice is naturally low and mumbly, which causes you to strain to hear him during Inside the NBA’s more in-depth, X’s and O’s-oriented segments.

Which is why last night was so good. Inside’s producers decided to play to Shaq’s strengths, pairing him up with Charles Barkley for a round of “Who He Play For.” “Who He Play For,” for the uninitiated, is a game show-style segment in which participants try to guess what team an obscure NBA journeyman is currently on. To no one’s surprise, Charles Barkley is not good at “Who He Play For.”

The segment allowed for more improvising, and was set up for Inside’s 7-foot-1, 325-pound rookie to shine. And with Barkley as his wingman, he did. Video here, via TNT (note: if you’re impatient, you can skip to 3:33 for the best part).