The always entertaining “Inside the NBA” crew on TNT delivered another classic, viral video on Thursday night, Jan.12, when Shaquille O’Neal delivered on a bet made a week earlier with co-host Ernie Johnson.
The crew from the Emmy Award-winning show is known for the outlandish things they say and do, while bringing their NBA Hall-of-Fame expertise to give their perspectives on the modern-era brand of basketball.
Why Did Shaq Eat Frog Legs For First Time?
During the intermission between their first game and second game of their usual double-header, Johnson walked out wearing a Georgia helmet with a plate of frog legs and presented them to O’Neal.
O’Neal devoured the frog legs with no hesitation in just a few bites while co-hosts Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley sat back laughing hysterically.
The Big Fella is a man of his word 👀@SHAQ really ate frog legs to settle his bet with EJ 🐸 pic.twitter.com/jKCVYYaSyi
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) January 13, 2023
Details of the Wager
O’Neal proposed the bet to Johnson on Jan. 5, after he saw Georgia barely escape Ohio State and Texas Christian University close out Michigan after having a comfortable lead for the majority of the game in the two College Football National Semifinals matchups.
Johnson is a long-time Bulldogs fan and a graduate of the 1978 class.
“Can I make you a bet, Ernie?” said O’Neal. “If Georgia beats TCU, I will eat two frogs. I will eat a horned frog. A cooked, cooked fried frog.”
.@SHAQ said he'd eat a frog if @GeorgiaFootball wins the National Championship 😳 🐸 pic.twitter.com/Z2xn5CNscm
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) January 6, 2023
The two shook on the terms to solidify the bet. O’Neal also made sure to emphasize that he wanted the frog to be cooked and not raw.
The Result
O’Neal made good on his bet after the Bulldogs dismantled the Horned Frogs in Monday, Jan. 9 national championship game.
He made a post from his Instagram account that congratulated the Bulldogs with a shocked face that the TNT twitter page tweeted out late Monday night.
See ya soon @SHAQ 😅🐸 pic.twitter.com/f62k6fkC7F
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) January 10, 2023
And, of course, O’Neal made light of the situation by making everyone on set laugh like he often does with his huge personality.
He smiled with a piece of the frog leg stuck between his teeth while making a funny impersonation.
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) January 13, 2023
Unique Food Shaq has Eaten in the Past
The frog legs are surprisingly not the craziest thing the big fella has eaten. He appeared on the YouTube show ‘Hot Ones’ three years ago.
The show theme is based on different hot sauce flavors over wings that each guest must continue to eat while being interviewed. These flavors feature some of the hottest sauces in the world.
O’Neal has also tried different flavors of vegan ice cream during a live show on ‘Inside the NBA,” along with the other members of the show. He was the first willing to take a crack at the unique ice cream flavors that included mac and cheese, pizza and deep dark chocolate.
The most unique of all those things is the potato chip he ate flavored with Paqui Carolina Reaper. It is known as the world’s hottest chip.
