Shaquille O’Neal can’t do anything about Charles Barkley’s endless teasing over his connection to Kash Patel

It all happened on Inside the NBA , which will soon come to an end as we know it. Ernie Johnson , one of the show’s familiar faces for nearly four decades, will leave when this season ends. Charles Barkley has also left the door open to walking away, though he has said that plenty of times before without following through.

The TV show will likely continue under the same name, but one of the people viewers are used to seeing will be gone. Fans will also miss the chemistry the hosts have built over the years through analysis, jokes and moments of affection. That was on display Wednesday night between Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley, and it ended with a fight challenge.

Shaq challenged Barkley to a fight, and Charles called Kash Patel

After a commercial break, the broadcast showed a clip from The Steam Room, the podcast Johnson and Barkley host together. A listener asked Barkley whom he would pick in a fight between Shaq and Steven Adams.

“Shaq can’t fight. Shaq can’t fight at all,” Barkley replied without hesitation. “Steven Adams. He has 17 siblings. There must be a lot of fighting going on there. There aren’t enough toys to go around, and there isn’t enough food. When you have that many siblings, there are bound to be some punches thrown.”

Johnson warned him that Shaq would take issue with being dismissed so easily. Barkley repeated his verdict:

“Shaq can’t fight at all.”

And Shaq, sure enough, had something to say. When the clip ended, he held up a piece of paper that read “May 19” and challenged Barkley to face him next year.

“On May 19, I’m knocking you out. I’m telling you right now: May 19,” O’Neal said. “You can’t challenge the champ. I’m the supreme lord of big-man battles. I’m going to beat him up first, and then I’ll get to Steven.” Barkley took out his phone, as if he were about to call for help. When Shaq asked if he was calling the police, Charles replied, “Kash Patel.” The desk erupted in laughter.

“He’s not available right now,” Barkley added as he put his phone down. The joke referred to Shaquille O’Neal’s meeting with Kash Patel in September, when the FBI director named him an honorary special agent. It wasn’t the first time Charles had teased his co-host over his connection to Patel, and it probably won’t be the last.

This time, the joke came after Republicans and Donald Trump’s administration suffered election losses on Tuesday during the midterm elections . The timing couldn’t have been better: Barkley’s comment made everyone at the desk laugh and once again showed the close bond and chemistry among the people who make the show.

When this season of Inside the NBA ends, fans will miss the analysis and interviews, especially with this cast. But most of all, they’ll miss these spontaneous exchanges the kind that work because, after so many years together, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and the rest of the crew know exactly how to have fun while making everyone else laugh.

There are still more unique moments to look forward to before Inside the NBA’s season comes to an end.