Anthony Davis leaving a Los Angeles Lakers playoff game in a wheelchair doesn’t seem like a laughing matter, unless you’re Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal.
During Game 5 of the series between the Lakers and Golden State Warriors, Davis took an elbow to the temple that appeared to leave the superstar center a little wobbly. According to NBA insider and TNT sideline reporter Chris Haynes, Davis went to the Lakers locker room in a wheelchair. Shaq and Barkley, however, didn’t seem overly concerned.
Following the game, Inside the NBA host Ernie Johnson asked analyst Kenny Smith to give his assessment of Davis, but the sound of Shaq and Barkley uncontrollably laughing in the background ended up dominating the segment.
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“These guys, man,” Smith said, shaking his head at his co-analysts. “I know what they’re laughing about.”
As Johnson asked Shaq and Barkley to explain their hysterics, Smith implored him not to bother. “Ernie, don’t let us go there,” Smith said. “Because if we go there, it will never stop.”
Like two kids in school, desperately attempting to avoid getting trouble for their mischief, Shaq blamed Barkley for making him laugh, while Barkley faulted Shaq in return.
“Shaq is over there crumpling up paper, that’s why I’m laughing,” Barkley said through hysterics. The assumption is that Shaq was implying Davis is made of paper because he gets injured so often. Seconds later, Barkley lost it again as he watched Smith adjust his chair.
“I’m fixing my seat!” Smith said.
“Fixing your seat?” Barkley asked with skepticism. Barkley then motioned his hands to emulate pushing the wheels on a wheelchair.
This isn’t the first time Shaq and Barkley mocked Davis for getting hurt. Barkley previously nicknamed Davis “street clothes” because of the number of games he misses. Davis’s track record is that of a superstar who is brittle and struggles to stay on the court, but considering how often he has dominated during this season’s NBA Playoffs, now might not be the most fair time for Barkley’s slander. Fans tune into Inside the NBA for Shaq and Barkley’s hijinks, not their analysis, but mocking a player’s possible head injury seems a bit harsh.
Early reports are the Lakers believe Davis did not suffer a concussion after the blow to the temple, but NBA protocols around head injuries still makes his return for Game 6 questionable. After it was reported that Davis used a wheelchair to get to the locker room, video of him walking out of the arena on his own surfaced on social media.
