Watch Kenny Smith beat Shaq in Mortal Kombat X
NBA analysts Kenny Smith and Shaquille O'Neal have a playful rivalry on TNT's Inside the NBA and NBA halftime shows, often racing from the studio desk to the video monitor about 20 feet in the background.
Now, taking a page from the books of Rob Gronkowski and Marshawn Lynch, the two NBA champions recently battled each other in "Mortal Kombat X," which was initially released in April.
Shaq uses the game's new Jason Voorhees character in all three of their matches. Kenny's quick fingers led him to a Game 1 victory, before Shaq responded to even the series at one apiece.
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"Kenny has kids so he’s pretty skillful with his fingers, but me and that Jason Voorhees character, I start hearing that music in my head—do, do, do do, do, do, do—and I just started going to work on him," O'Neal told SI.com.
In the end, Smith took home the victory with the Sub-Zero character.
"It’s fun. It’s kind of like everyone’s mental fantasy when you see an action movie," Smith told SI.com. "And now you’re like, ‘Oh man, I get to actually be the action hero and make the moves that they’re doing.' To me, that was the coolest part about it."
Warning: The following video contains graphic content.
- Jake Fischer