Watch: Ernie Johnson recalls Shaq's halftime tumble
Inside the NBA's Ernie Johnson joined SI Now on Thursday to recall his account of Shaquille O'Neal's tumble during the halftime show of Wednesday's Clippers-Rockets broadcast.
Just as Kenny Smith was delving into his analysis of the Rockets' defense, Shaq elected to stand up and... well, we're not sure what he meant to do. What he did do is tumble straight over the edge of the platform the crew's desk was atop. He also brought down a phone with him.
The Inside the NBA crew said on social media after Shaq's tumble that it was entirely unscripted, and indeed that was the story Johnson stuck to with SI Now on Thursday.
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"Here's the deal: sometimes you know that it's coming, because he takes great pride in telling us from time to time," Johnson said before going into a spot-on Shaq impression, "'Look, I've been to stump school, I know how to fall down. It would be really funny if you pushed that Christmas tree over on me.'
"So we can anticipate, sometimes, when something like that is coming. But last night was purely unintentional. He got wrapped up in a cable underneath the desk."
Classic. Great to see that Inside the NBA can be hilarious, whether it means to or not, and keep everyone safe in the process.
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- Mike Fiammetta
