Shaquille O’Neal Stuns ‘Inside the NBA’ Panel by Showing Off His Infamous Feet Live on Air

Shaquille O’Neal knows how to make headlines—and this time, it wasn’t with a slam dunk.

On the January 23 episode of Inside the NBA, the 52-year-old Hall of Famer shocked his cohosts and viewers alike by taking off his shoe and putting his toes on full display during a live broadcast. What followed was a flurry of laughter, disbelief, and pure TV gold.

The unexpected moment came after Charles Barkley, 61, casually shared his own grooming routine, telling the panel that he now gets a weekly mani-pedi. He fondly recalled how his daughter, Christiana Barkley, used to paint his toenails when she was little.

“Yeah, mine too,” Shaq chimed in, revealing that he too had experienced at-home toenail sessions from his kids.

Kenny Smith, clearly amused by the idea, joked that making children clean up their parents’ toenails should count as punishment. “You don’t do your homework? You’re gonna have to do my nails,” he quipped.

That’s when Shaq decided to kick things up a notch—literally.

Insisting that his toes “are not ugly,” he pulled off one of his shoes mid-show and placed his right foot right on the desk. The reactions were immediate and hysterical. “Look at those nails, man,” exclaimed Ernie Johnson Jr., trying to keep a straight face. Smith, 59, took it even further, comparing Shaq’s foot to “a bald eagle’s feet.”

Even Barkley, known for his quick wit and sharp tongue, was momentarily at a loss. “I need time to say something serious, but I can’t do it right now,” he said, still reeling from the surprise toe reveal.

This isn’t the first time Shaq has let his “dogs out” on national television. Back in February 2022, during a broadcast of NBA on TNT, the former Lakers star gave viewers an up-close look at his famously rugged feet. At the time, he defended himself by saying, “That’s not ash. That’s dry skin,” after cohosts Dwyane Wade, Adam Lefkoe, and Candace Parker gave him a hard time.

After Lefkoe jokingly apologized to the audience, Shaq doubled down with classic confidence: “I do not apologize for what I do.”

Shaq has long been candid about his feet—and the hefty price tag it takes to maintain them. On a March 2024 episode of The Big Podcast with Shaq, he admitted that he sometimes spends upwards of $1,000 on pedicures. “I know my feet stink. I know they’re ugly. And I like to paint them,” he said. “I want them to look pretty.”

He even shared a hilarious anecdote: “True story—one time I had a toenail that was torn off, and I wasn’t going to play a game. My mom asked, ‘Why aren’t you playing?’ I told her, ‘I tore my toenail off.’”

Say what you will, but Shaq’s unapologetic confidence—and those talon-like toes—continue to make for unforgettable television.