Shaquille O’Neal Walks Off NBA Show as Kenny Smith Names Jay-Z

Much to Shaquille O’Neal’s apparent dismay, sportscaster Kenny Smith brought up Jay-Z during the latest episode of Inside the NBA.

During the Tuesday, December 10, broadcast, Smith, 59, and his fellow panelists — including O’Neal — reacted to Stephen A. Smith’s recent tweet about who he could face off against on the court nowadays.

“You said the man isn’t on your level,” Charles Barkley told Smith. “Stephen A. played college basketball.”

Smith then pointed out that they weren’t on the same level, calling himself a “champ” for his previous NBA career.

“Listen, man, do you think Jay-Z or,” Smith began, trailing off.

Barkley, 61, interrupted, noting it “probably [wasn’t] a good time” to bring up the 55-year-old rapper.

“You’re silly, man,” Smith added, shaking his head.

O’Neal, 52, silently rose from his seat and left the stage to hide behind a pillar. He resumed at the end of the segment, trying to get back on task.

Smith subsequently tried to backtrack, replacing Jay-Z’s name with Kendrick Lamar.

Jay-Z was recently named in a civil lawsuit, in which an anonymous plaintiff accused the Roc Nation founder and Sean “Diddy” Combs of rape in 2000 at an MTV awards show afterparty. Jay-Z immediately denied the “heinous” allegations.

“My lawyer received a blackmail attempt, called a demand letter, from a ‘lawyer’ named Tony Buzbee. What he had calculated was the nature of these allegations and the public scrutiny would make me want to settle,” Jay-Z wrote in a lengthy statement shared on Sunday, December 8. “No sir, it had the opposite effect! It made me want to expose you for the fraud you are in a VERY public fashion. So no, I will not give you ONE RED PENNY!!”

He added, “These allegations are so heinous in nature that I implore you to file a criminal complaint, not a civil one!! Whomever would commit such a crime against a minor should be locked away, would you not agree? These alleged victims would deserve real justice if that were the case.”

Jay-Z, who has since filed to dismiss the lawsuit, further noted that his “only heartbreak” is for his wife, Beyoncé, and their three children: Blue Ivy, 12, and twins Sir and Rumi, both 8.

“My wife and I will have to sit our children down, one of whom is at the age where her friends will surely see the press and ask questions about the nature of these claims, and explain the cruelty and greed of people,” Jay-Z continued. “I mourn yet another loss of innocence. Children should not have to endure such at their young age. It is unfair to have to try to understand inexplicable degrees of malice meant to destroy families and human spirit.”

Diddy, 55, also denied the allegations through his attorney.

Diddy is currently incarcerated for charges pertaining to sex trafficking, racketeering, conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution. He was arrested in September and pleaded not guilty.

“We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” Diddy’s attorney Marc Agnifilo told Us Weekly in a statement at the time. “Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is a music icon, self-made entrepreneur, loving family man and proven philanthropist who has spent the last 30 years building an empire, adoring his children and working to uplift the Black community. He is an imperfect person, but he is not a criminal.”

Diddy is awaiting trial, which is slated to begin in 2025, at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center. He was denied bail on four separate attempts.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).