One of the biggest reasons why Inside the NBA has been so successful for so long is that it features a dais of highly entertaining personalities. That panel is made up of Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley. All four men have great, on-screen chemistry and compliment each other quite well. Someone could compare them to a humorous (and sometimes raucous) orchestra. However, Smith likened himself and his cohorts to specific boxing veterans, and his take is so on point.
Kenny Smith has been a member of the Inside cast for over two decades now, and the show’s current lineup of hosts has been intact for 14 years now. So, needless to say, Smith is more than familiar with the three men who sit at the table with him. The former Houston Rocket recently sat down with The New Yorker for a wide-ranging interview about his life and career. When it came to describing his co-stars on the beloved (former) TNT show, Smith laid it like so:
I use a boxing analogy. Shaq is like George Foreman, a big hitter. But he might take some punches. Like, he’s going to trip on the floor running. He’s going to get pushed into the Christmas tree. Charles is more like Mike Tyson: knockout punch coming at you right from the door. He might never get touched. I’m like Floyd Mayweather or Sugar Ray Leonard: I’m going to jab you with information all night and then you might get knocked out by the end. Pop, pop, pop, pop. Ernie is Angelo Dundee—he’s the cut man. He’s making sure no one bleeds to death.
The notion of three former basketball players being compared to boxing legends may be somewhat ironic. However, I can’t think of a better way to sum up all four of Inside the NBA’s hosts. Charles Barkley says some wild things and, in the process, he can deliver some verbal haymakers, but Shaquille O’Neal is a heavyweight in his own right and can deliver a serious blow. The notion of Ernie Johnson (who’s compared himself to a “rogue traffic cop”) is also fitting, as he does indeed make attempts to clean up any boo boos on set.
Kenny Smith is also correct in comparing himself to the scrappy Sugar Ray Leonard and Floyd Mayweather. He may not go for the proverbial knockout like his co-stars, but he can wear someone down with information. So this all begs one question: who tends to bleed the most? Smith answered that very query when it was posed to him later in the conversation:
Shaq. He’s slapstick—he’s O.K. with falling. Or being pushed. He’s O.K. with being made to look a certain way. He’s Benny Hill. I was a big Benny Hill fan.
The Diesel does indeed put himself through quite a bit on set, as he’s been shoved into many Christmas trees in his time. Of course, he does it for viewers’ amusement, and the feat is appreciated whenever it happens. The same is also true of Shaq and Charles Barkley’s humorous antics, which often go viral. All in all, the Inside crew have a special bond (and they have the coordinating holiday shirts and photoshoot to prove it).
As of late, there’s been a lot of speculation as to whether the quartet’s famous show will maintain its format and style due to its impending move to ESPN. Charles Barkley expressed concerns about what’s to come and, during his recent interview, even Kenny Smith admitted to being “uncomfortable” about potential format changes. Nevertheless, insiders claim the show won’t be changed, and Smith himself believes the program “will translate” accordingly.
Hopefully, Kenny Smith’s prediction proves to be correct, considering how entertaining the show has been in its current form. I don’t know about you but I’m ready to see more of Smith and co. duking it in the proverbial boxing ring that is Inside the NBA.
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