Shaquille O’Neal: ‘We getting fired anyway, Ernie, f*** it.’

Viewers of Thursday night’s NBA game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves, covered on TNT, saw the standard race to the board between Kenny Smith and his co-stars, Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley. Thanks to Shaq, those same viewers heard a little bit more.

It started with the normal Inside the NBA crew of Ernie Johnson, Smith, Barkley and O’Neal at the desk. Smith tried to get a head start in the race to the board.

“People want to see me — race someone to the board,” he said, before dropping his microphone and running back to the board. Only, neither Shaq or Barkley followed Smith. When Smith realized it was a one-man race, he headed back to the desk. When he got there, both Shaq and Barkley took off to the board. Barkley stopped a few feet short, while Shaq walked to the board, touching it to end the race. That part was shown on X (formerly Twitter) by the NBA on TNT’s page.

Kenny, Shaq & Chuck race to the board, #NBAAllStar Weekend-style 🤣 pic.twitter.com/jQmKDSfjl2

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 14, 2025

But there was more that wasn’t shared on social media.

Getting back to the desk, Shaq grabbed the mic and quoted former NFL running back Marshawn Lynch.

“In the words of Marshawn Lynch, ‘I’m tired as shit, America,'” he said. “We getting fired anyway, Ernie. Fuck it.”

“In the words of Marshawn Lynch, ‘I’m tired as shit, America.’ We getting fired anyway, Ernie. Fuck it.”

Shaq, after a race to the board. pic.twitter.com/edrV0gmEXk

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 14, 2025

This isn’t exactly the first time that four-letter words have made their way onto the Inside the NBA broadcasts — and we doubt it will be the last.