SHAQUILLE O’Neal lost himself in the music as the NBA halftime show descended into chaos on Wednesday night.
The 52-year-old NBA legend began singing as Montell Jordan’s version of This Is How We Do It played at Target Center.
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Shaq joined host Ernie Johnson, Draymond Green, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith for the Western Conference Finals series opener.
The Minnesota Timberwolves lost 108-105 to the Dallas Mavericks in a thrilling Game 1.
But it was Jordan’s deafening halftime performance that left the TNT team in shambles.
The music played during halftime as announcer Johnson desperately tried to read the game’s statistics.
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“I’ll have to read your lips,” shouted Ernie, confused.
“That’s how we do it, Ernie!” sang back a beaming Shaq, who seemed to be relishing the chaos.
Jonhson persevered as the 1995 hit continued to ring out in the arena.
“This is actually hilarious,” wrote one fan on X in response to the filming.
“Nothing like a 30-year-old song to cheer up the crowd at halftime,” laughed another.
“This is what they are taking from us. What a tragedy!” wrote a third.
Jordan tweaked some of his song lyrics for Timberwolves fans, for Horrible ad.
Off the court, the future of the NBA remains uncertain.
The NBA is finalizing media rights deals with Disney, NBC and Amazon this week, according to the Sports Business Journal.
If NBC takes over the rights from TNT and its parent company Warner Bros. Discovery, Inside the NBA will end after the 2024-25 season.
It’s unclear what the future holds for the much-loved cast.
Inside the future of the NBA?
The operation of the NBA on TNT Sports is in doubt due to the NBA’s broadcast agreements.
The Emmy-winning sports show is a fan favorite thanks to the likes of Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley.
But TNT’s broadcast deal with the NBA ends after next season and NBC is preparing a bid to take over those rights.
If TNT loses its NBA package, it will raise questions about the popular Inside the NBA.
One solution could be to recreate the show on another network, which would snatch the rights from the NBA.
Barkley previously suggested that host Johnson would not move to a network other than TNT.
And the former NBA star made it clear he has an opt-out in his contract if the network loses the NBA rights.
“I covered my a** to be honest with you,” Barkley said.
“I just signed a 10-year contract two years ago.
“But one of the things I did was opt out in a few years because I wanted to protect myself when it came to that situation.”
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