The NBA has become a Christmas Day tradition for sports fans, and now that ESPN has the biggest basketball show on television the holiday got even wilder in 2025.
‘Inside the NBA’ has iconic moments on a weekly basis, and during the show’s Christmas special their stars took their antics to another level.
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During halftime of the first game of Christmas Day between the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers, chaos ensued on the ‘Inside the NBA’ set. It even included NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal taking a rough tumble after finishing a race against Kenny Smith.
Shaq just ran through a wall 😂 pic.twitter.com/EwIDMV0C1s
— ESPN (@espn) December 25, 2025
Smith and Shaq have always had fun banter in their working relationship, and the former NBA stars took that to another level on Christmas after the former stole his hat and they raced to the giant video board.
While running up the stairs and narrowly touching the board first, Shaq ran straight through the screen and took a hard fall. Smith, Ernie Johnson and Charles Barkley were left in shock and couldn’t contain their laughter as it unfolded.
‘Inside the NBA’ has become one of the staples of ESPN’s sports coverage since the program moved over from TNT in 2025. The hilarious cast of characters have managed to keep the same energy despite the show’s move to a new home.
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