The hosts of Inside the NBA have been known to be a very hilarious group, who are not shy of showing their playful characters in front of the camera. Their broadcasts, which feature Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley and Ernie Johnson has turned out to be a must-watch show for basketball fans as it is highly entertaining.

Thursday’s episode wasn’t any different, especially with The Jet celebrating his 53rd birthday. O’Neal appeared to be on the way to hugging him, before he surprised Smith by spanking his behind live on national TV, which brought some laughter to their co-hosts.

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
Thunder Chet Holmgren with Shaquille O'Neal and David Robinson after win over Pelicans

Jay Postrado ·

Kendrick Perkins, Shaquille O'Neal, Charles Barkley, Warriors, Lakers

Jackson Stone ·

Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant and Damian Lillard holding All-Star Game MVP trophies.

Spencer See ·

Once again, the two showed their antics without inhibitions, which makes the show even more enjoyable to watch. They just act naturally on camera, and also gives their honest takes on different issues surrounding the NBA and its players. It's definitely not the first time O'Neal has made a hilarious act during a broadcast, and has been a norm for all their hosts.

It will be very interesting to see what they will come up with when someone celebrates their birthday next time. For Smith, he will need to wait until next year though before he can repay O'Neal's spanking, as The Diesel only celebrated his earlier this week. It can also be recalled that he made some headlines when he posted a video on his Twitter account showing that he tied $500 in a bunch of balloons, and asking whoever is lucky to receive it to get back at him for another possible surprise.