Shaq Took a Sick Day and Got Absolutely Roasted by His ‘Inside the NBA’ Colleagues

Also in Traina Thoughts: Rihanna gets FCC complaints; $2 beers helps team win game; NBA star traded for his favorite player and more.

1. Could we be honest with one another for a moment? It’s just me and you here and many of you have been with me since the Hot Clicks days, so we can trust one another.

Anytime a coworker calls out sick, you never fully believe said coworker is sick. Even if you know that coworker is sick, there is a tiny part of you that thinks, “Oh, they just stay in bed, binge-watch a show and fart around all day.”

Now, I would never say this out loud. And most of you reading this would never say this out loud. But we’re not Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith, who had no problem mocking Shaq for calling out sick and missing Thursday’s Inside the NBA.

Before Ernie Johnson could even announce that Shaq wasn’t feeling well, Barkley started right in and made reference to the fact that Johnson, Barkley and Smith had hosted the show for years before Shaq joined.

“This is like 13 years ago,” said Johnson. “It’s just the three of us.”

“You know what Kenny called those?” asked Barkley. “The good old days.”

When Johnson then told the audience Shaq wasn’t feeling well, Barkley said, “Please stop it.”

The Inside the NBA graphics department even got in on the action, airing a photo of Shaq sitting on the couch wrapped in a blanket.

Barkley continued, “Just go down the street. You’ll see him at the hookah bar.”

Smith then got in his shots. “If he took off and stayed in Atlanta, he’s an idiot. If I take off, I’m gonna be in Tahiti.”

When Johnson tried to explain that Shaq was sick, Smith said, “He’s not sick. Stop it. He’s not sick.”

Then all three piled on with Johnson telling Shaq to “man up,” while Smith told Shaq to just “rub some Icy Hot on it,” and Barkley implored Shaq to “bring his ass to the studio.”

"Superman doesn't get sick" 🤣@SHAQ is out sick after All-Star weekend and the fellas have some thoughts 😂 pic.twitter.com/YfiSI9ihmO

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 24, 2023

This was perfect television from the greatest sports studio show of all time for some simple reason: It was totally relatable.

Watch the NBA with fuboTV. Start your free trial today.

2. One of my favorite yearly traditions in all of sports: The FCC complaints that come in about the Super Bowl halftime show. This year, Rihanna generated 103 complaints.

Rihanna's halftime performance at Super Bowl LVII caused a ton of outrage for folks watching on TV ... they flooded the FCC with complaints, saying her set was too big on sex. https://t.co/ekO0GWyrvv

— TMZ Sports (@TMZ_Sports) February 24, 2023

3. After UConn beat Providence, 87–69, at home Wednesday, Friars coach Ed Cooley credited the home crowd and the $2 beers that were sold at the game.

“I thought we were soft. The environment had a lot to do with that. The $2 beers worked.”

“There was a CYO game that was better to watch out there. That was bullshit effort that my team had out there.”

Ed Cooley if fired up tonight.

— Rob Dauster (@RobDauster) February 23, 2023

4. It turns out new Brooklyn Net Mikal Bridges was traded for his favorite player a couple of weeks ago.

Mikal Bridges when asked who his favorite athlete growing up was:

"Kevin Durant" 😅😂

(via @BrooklynNets) pic.twitter.com/OA3YNtZ8H8

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 24, 2023

5. I feel like people need to be reminded every now and then that LeBron James is 38 years old.

LEBRON OFF THE LOB ON TNT 😱 pic.twitter.com/bc1WME6szM

— NBA (@NBA) February 24, 2023

6. This week's SI Media With Jimmy Traina features an interview with CBS Sports and Turner Sports play-by-play man Ian Eagle.

Eagle talks about succeeding Jim Nantz next year to call the NCAA tournament Final Four and why working with Bill Raftery is so special. Eagle also shares his thoughts on the Greg Olsen–Tom Brady situation and what it means for fellow play-by-player Kevin Burkhardt. Eagle, who calls Nets games locally, also discusses the team’s implosion this season and why it was difficult for him to call Kyrie Irving’s games after Irving promoted an antisemitic film.

Other topics discussed with Eagle include his favorite sports call of all time, where he was when the NBA shut down because of COVID-19, the pronunciation of his name, Aaron Rodgers’s darkness retreat and much more.

Following Eagle, Sal Licata from WFAN radio and SNY TV joins Jimmy for their weekly “Traina Thoughts” segment. This week, Jimmy and Sal discuss Rihanna’s Super Bowl halftime performance, the NBA’s All-Star weekend, Major League Baseball’s new rules changes, the passing of Tim McCarver and more.

You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify and Google.

You can also watch the SI Media Podcast on YouTube.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Saw a tweet this morning that it was Eddie Murray’s birthday. When I first read the tweet, though, I thought it said “Eddie Murphy” and was all ready to feature a Murphy video today, but after rereading it, I saw the tweet was about the Orioles great and not the legendary comedian, so then I wasn’t going to feature an Eddie Murphy video. But then I realized it’s my column and I can do what I want. 

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.