Shaq Loses His Pants During Final Turner Broadcast Of Season

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The Phoenix Suns beat the Milwaukee Bucks 118-108 last night in Game Two of the NBA Finals, covering the -4.5 point spread to go up 2-0 in the series.

What didn’t get covered, however, was Shaq’s enormous thigh meat.

The former NBA superstar turned broadcaster appeared on NBATV’s Finals coverage last night remotely from his home. At the end of his segment, he was told that his responsibilities as broadcaster were officially over until next season. In what basically amounted to a ‘last day of school’ celebration, Shaq backed away from his close-up shot and did a no-pants dance for the NBATV viewers.

As long as they’re sitting behind a desk, broadcasters delivering news or opinion segments have long skipped wearing dress pants to match their coats and ties. In studio, they’ll often wear athletic shorts or some other more comfortable option. At home for a guest spot, they sometimes just sit there in their boxer shorts. After all, the audience will never see anything below the belt.

For Shaq to stand up and do a little shimmy for the audience was breaking the fourth wall in some respects, but it’s the kind of antics we’ve come to expect from the TNT crew. Shaq, Kenny, Charles, and Ernie can get away with more than any broadcast team in the world, thanks to their senses of humor and cavalier attitude toward traditional broadcasting.

(Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images)

Even with all the fun, Shaq and his cohost Kenny Smith were both visibly relieved to be officially done for a while. Because of the COVID-bubble season and near immediate transition into the 2021 season, basketball and all of the games’ many employees have been working around the clock. Considering their March Madness duties as well, the crew is obviously gassed and ready for a beach vacation.

So if you ever want to catch a glimpse of Shaq’s bikini line again, you may have to track him down south of the border somewhere. Or just wait until next season’s TNT coverage—anything can happen on that set.