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.”
This was perfect television from the greatest sports studio show of all time for some simple reason: It was totally relatable.
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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.
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.
4. It turns out new Brooklyn Net Mikal Bridges was traded for his favorite player a couple of weeks ago.
5. I feel like people need to be reminded every now and then that LeBron James is 38 years old.
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.
