Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal on NBA on TNT

Shaq Can't Handle Charles Barkley's Reason For Carrying His Own Soap!

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By Melanie VanDerveer on April 8, 2023 at 8:15 AM PDT

When Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal are involved, you never know what to expect.

This NBA season has brought many fun moments for the team at "NBA on TNT," and there seems to be no holding back. A recent show episode unveiled an exciting fact about Barkley that he revealed on "The Steam Room with EJ and Chuck" podcast about why he carries his bar of soap.

During an episode of the podcast, a caller opened the door to a conversation that O'Neal couldn't contain his laughter over. The caller asked Barkley, "If you drop soap on the floor, is the soap dirty, or is the floor clean?" And then the fun began.

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Charles Barkley Travels With His Bar Of Soap

Ernie Johnson and Charles Barkley on The Steam Room podcast
NBA on TNT - YouTube

No one, especially O'Neal, was ready for what Barkley would say in response to the silly soap question.

"You know I travel with my soap? You knew that, didn't you?" Barkley asked podcast cohost Ernie Johnson, who said he didn't know that.

"I travel with a big bar of soap. I love soap," Barkley continued. Johnson wanted to know why and if it was because he was "afraid that it's not going to be in the hotel?"

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"These hotels started being cheap. Those bars aren't big enough. Cause I almost had a couple of accidents with the soap at hotels," he said. "Well, when I was washing a part of my body, I almost had a little incident. I almost had a little incident with those little bars of soap."

Johnson asked, "Almost lose it?" through his laughter.

"I almost lost it. And I was like, WOAH, that was too close for comfort. So now, I travel with my big bars of soap," Barkley replied.

That story was too much for O'Neal to handle, who watched the interaction during an episode of "NBA on TNT" alongside cohosts Johnson, Barkley, and Kenny Smith. The laughter was contagious, and O'Neal couldn't stop.

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Shaquille O'Neal
NBA on TNT - YouTube
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"Hold on, Chuck. What happened to the soap?" O'Neal fights through laughter to ask his cohost. Barkley replied, "I almost lost a bar of soap. They keep making them hotel bars of soaps so tiny."

O'Neal then asked the question no one wanted an answer to. "Lost it where Chuck?"

Smith then chimes in to say, "I don't know where he lost it, but I'm still worried that he prefers bigger bars of soap now."

That knocked O'Neal for a loop, then dropped his head on the desk and announced, "Next segment."

Shaquille O'Neal
NBA on TNT - YouTube
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Later in the show, O'Neal struggled to get his laughter in check. He ended up spitting his water all over the desk at one point.

The Four Hosts Then Recapped Some Fun Highlights From This NBA Season

NBA on TNT
NBA on TNT - YouTube

Barkley's soap story is far from the only hilarious moment the show has seen. Later in the episode, the hosts reminisced about this past NBA season and all the fun they've had on the air.

Clips from O'Neal's lousy haircut, Jamal Crawford's big welcome, playing Jeopardy (or rather, losing Jeopardy to Crawford), playing peanut butter pong, and much more made the recap of the funniest moments.

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NBA on TNT
NBA on TNT - YouTube

O'Neal losing a bet to Johnson and needing to pay up by eating frog legs made the highlight reel. A few months ago, after betting Johnson, "When Georgia beats TCU, I'll eat some frogs. I'll eat a horned frog," O'Neal paid up by eating a plate of frog legs that were served by Johnson, wearing a football helmet.

"I'm a man of my word," O'Neal said. "I just want to let you all know these frog legs are good."

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NBA on TNT
NBA on TNT - YouTube

Another moment that made the season's highlights was when Smith playfully shoved O'Neal into the Christmas tree. The 7'1 former NBA star went into the tree, where you could only see his feet sticking out amid tons of laughter.

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