Basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal has finally come clean about the unexpected bathroom dash that had Inside the NBA viewers and co-hosts roaring with laughter. The viral clip from the April broadcast captured Shaq abruptly rising mid-segment, shuffling off the set in a tailored blue blazer and gray slacks, with a parting instruction to his fellow panelists: “Go ahead, keep talking.” Now, about a month later, Shaq has revealed the truth behind his bathroom break.
Shaquille O’Neal shared the real reason behind his bathroom break amid the ‘Inside the NBA’ broadcast
At the time, Shaquille O’Neal brushed off the incident with a simple explanation: “I was drinking a lot of water that day.” But fans weren’t buying it, especially after co-host Kenny Smith jabbed, “That’s that olive oil you’ve been drinking,” referring to Shaq’s new health kick.
The full story came out a month later when the 53-year-old Hall of Famer appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Initially sticking to his story, Shaq claimed it was just a quick “number one.” But after some playful prodding from Fallon, the truth finally bubbled up.
“I just made a mistake. I lied to you on national TV,” Shaq admitted. “It wasn’t a number-one run, it was a number-two run. I had to go so bad!”
The comment confirmed what many suspected, Shaq didn’t just leave the set to pee. He had to sprint for more urgent reasons. An olive oil cleanse?
“I’m drinking olive oil because I want to be sexy,” Shaq explained to Fallon. “That’s what it said on Instagram. [It] said if you drink olive oil for 14 days, it clears stuff out, gets you a flat stomach. So I was trying it.”
The cleanse might have promised a flatter stomach, but it also delivered one of the most unforgettable live TV moments in sports broadcasting history. As soon as Shaq made his dash, Smith, Charles Barkley, and Ernie Johnson erupted into jokes.
“He’s been drinking olive oil to clean his gut … he’s cleaning his gut all right,” Smith cracked at the moment of the hilarious incident.
“I didn’t like his gait as he left, that was not a typical walk right there,” Johnson chimed in. “Please turn his mic off,” Smith added, clearly trying to hold back laughter.
Later that night, the crew took things up a notch by replaying the moment in slow motion, complete with commentary mimicking a game-day breakdown. “Here he is… [I’ve] seen that face before … ‘I can feel it,’” joked Johnson. “That was the gait,” he added, referring to Shaq’s unmistakable shuffle.
Shaq returned moments later. “Sorry about that, America,” he said, still laughing. He even blamed Barkley for delaying a commercial break with too much chatter: “I’m sitting here like, shut the hell up and hurry up.”
Also Read: Steve Kerr paints a real picture of Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler defining playoff fate after Golden State Warriors’ devastating exit
The show has long been known for its unscripted moments, but this one may go down as one of its most legendary.
Shaquille O’Neal shared the real reason behind his bathroom break amid the ‘Inside the NBA’ broadcast
At the time, Shaquille O’Neal brushed off the incident with a simple explanation: “I was drinking a lot of water that day.” But fans weren’t buying it, especially after co-host Kenny Smith jabbed, “That’s that olive oil you’ve been drinking,” referring to Shaq’s new health kick.
The full story came out a month later when the 53-year-old Hall of Famer appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Initially sticking to his story, Shaq claimed it was just a quick “number one.” But after some playful prodding from Fallon, the truth finally bubbled up.
“I just made a mistake. I lied to you on national TV,” Shaq admitted. “It wasn’t a number-one run, it was a number-two run. I had to go so bad!”
The comment confirmed what many suspected, Shaq didn’t just leave the set to pee. He had to sprint for more urgent reasons. An olive oil cleanse?
And to think, we almost lost Inside the NBA... pic.twitter.com/Uk1BnPTgLp
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 22, 2025
“I’m drinking olive oil because I want to be sexy,” Shaq explained to Fallon. “That’s what it said on Instagram. [It] said if you drink olive oil for 14 days, it clears stuff out, gets you a flat stomach. So I was trying it.”
The cleanse might have promised a flatter stomach, but it also delivered one of the most unforgettable live TV moments in sports broadcasting history. As soon as Shaq made his dash, Smith, Charles Barkley, and Ernie Johnson erupted into jokes.
“He’s been drinking olive oil to clean his gut … he’s cleaning his gut all right,” Smith cracked at the moment of the hilarious incident.
“I didn’t like his gait as he left, that was not a typical walk right there,” Johnson chimed in. “Please turn his mic off,” Smith added, clearly trying to hold back laughter.
Later that night, the crew took things up a notch by replaying the moment in slow motion, complete with commentary mimicking a game-day breakdown. “Here he is… [I’ve] seen that face before … ‘I can feel it,’” joked Johnson. “That was the gait,” he added, referring to Shaq’s unmistakable shuffle.
Shaq returned moments later. “Sorry about that, America,” he said, still laughing. He even blamed Barkley for delaying a commercial break with too much chatter: “I’m sitting here like, shut the hell up and hurry up.”
Also Read: Steve Kerr paints a real picture of Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler defining playoff fate after Golden State Warriors’ devastating exit
The show has long been known for its unscripted moments, but this one may go down as one of its most legendary.
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