As the "Inside the NBA" team was discussing how the second half of the season would shake out, Kenny Smith asked Ernie Johnson which of the predictions they had made earlier in the year had no chance of coming true.
"Two black guys beating a black guy up," Barkley interrupted, sending co-host Shaquille O'Neal into laughter.
Barkley was referencing the legal case of actor Jussie Smollett, who was arrested on Thursday on the charge of falsely reporting a racist, homophobic attack against him.
While not the lightest matter to joke about, Barkley dug in and quickly had the entire "Insidethe NBA" crew in hysterics.
Barkley's main issue with Smollett came from reports that he used a check to pay the two men who allegedly helped him stage the attack.
"America, let me just tell you something," Barkley said. "Do not commit crimes with checks."
The production team at "Inside the NBA" jumped into action, and after the next commercial break, had produced a graphic of Barkley's fake check write out to "muggers" for the purchase of "mugging supplies."
Barkley would get one final joke in at Smollett's expense before the end of the night, saying "There must be some good damn sandwiches at Subway if you've got to go out there at three, four in the morning to get them."
"Inside the NBA" is known for the loose rapport between its hosts and its tendency to deviate far from basketball, but even by their standards, Thursday night was a wild one for the show.
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