TNT's Inside the NBA puts together a panel of sports experts to discuss the latest, greatest, and not-so-great in the world of professional basketball. It also features the guys goofing around kind of a lot, and you don't need to know basketball to get a kick out of their shenanigans. Recently, host Ernie Johnson and analysts Kenny Smith and Shaquille O'Neal decided to prank other analyst Charles Barkley for his love of all things associated with the Flex Seal infomercials. It ended with Barkley dripping wet and his Inside the NBA pals laughing. Take a look!
I don't think I've ever seen anybody more sincere about anything than Charles Barkley was sincerely all about the Flex Seal and Flex Tape. The video (as shared on the official NBA on TNT Twitter account) picks up after Ernie Johnson was already talking about Barkley's tendency to order infomercial products, so we can't say exactly how the Flex Tape came up in conversation, but Barkley was enthusiastic as soon as it did. When the guys brought out a bucket with holes and some squares of Flex Tape, he looked just so happy that I have to wonder if anybody on set felt bad for what they were about to do.
Charles Barkley was meticulous in applying the Flex Tape on top of the holes in the bucket, explaining that he hasn't had the chance to try to Flex Tape at home just yet. Even after the other guys started making fun of him for being so careful, he kept on keeping on. He didn't even seem too nervous when Shaq stood over him, holding what he thought was the patched bucket over his head. His disappointment when the bucket began to leak all over him was as endearing as it was hilarious, and I got my biggest laugh when Barkley--sounding deeply betrayed--declared that he would have been eaten by an alligator in the Everglades because he had intended to use the Flex Tape to fix his boat.
Luckily for Charles Barkley, the guys didn't keep the ruse going too much longer, and they confessed that they'd switched buckets on him. They brought out the bucket that had really been patched by the Flex Tape and dumped some glasses of water in. The bucket did not leak, and I can only assume that Charles Barkley had his faith in humanity restored. Plus, viewers got to see the gigantic Shaq holding a bucket over Barkley's head. The world is a better place for this prank having been pulled.
In case you're not familiar with the magic of Flex Tape that so bewitched Charles Barkley, check out a commercial!
For more of Charles Barkley and the boys' shenanigans (and NBA commentary), watch TNT's broadcast of basketball games. If you're in the mood for other viewing options, swing by our midseason TV premiere schedule and our summer TV premiere guide.
