Charles Barkley milked a cow on live television

One of the most prolific rebounders in NBA history, Charles Barkley has never been one to shy away from getting his hands dirty.

So when it came to celebrating National Milk Day on Thursday, Sir Charles had no qualms about milking a cow on live television during TNT’s Inside the NBA.

“I know how to milk a damn cow, Ernie,” Barkley told host Ernie Johnson. “You pull that little thing.”

Presumably, Barkley was referring to the cow’s utter.

Despite his insistence that he was already prepared, the show had a professional cow handler on set to explain the intricacies involved in milking a cow. Then it was Barkley’s turn to try his hand at it (literally) and, well, the Hall of Fame power forward milked a cow.

“Hey, hey, calm down, Betsy,” Barkley told the cow, whose name actual name was Rosie.

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While Kenny Smith passed on the opportunity to take a turn — “I’m from New York City. I’m from the concrete jungle,” he reminded his co-hosts — Johnson volunteered for what he said was his first time milking a cow.

“This is not as difficult as I thought it would be,” Johnson said.

“You mean just pulling that little thing?” Barkley replied.

“I’ll let that one pass, Chuckster,” Johnson said.

Like Smith, Shaquille O’Neal declined an invitation to participate, citing his alleged allergies. “It will be a diarrhea fest,” the Hall of Fame center insisted, sharing too much information.

At the end of the segment, the group celebrated with a toast to Rosie. Like many Inside the NBA segments, it was both entertaining and educational — albeit in a different way than usual. And on a night in which TNT’s slate included two blowouts, it also provided one of the more memorable moments of the entire evening for the NBA’s premier studio show.

[Inside the NBA]