When the big man sleeps, the co-hosts will play.
Dwyane Wade and Candace Parker had a little fun with Shaquille O’Neal on Tuesday night when they caught their “Inside the NBA” co-host sleeping on the job.
The crew appeared to be backstage watching the night’s matchups when Wade enlisted Parker to join him in shooting three grapes apiece into O’Neal’s open mouth — while he napped on a chair in a pair of massive fuzzy slippers. Meanwhile, co-host Adam Lefkoe voiced the play-by-play behind the scenes.
The Heat legend launched typical overhand shots as if he was at the free-throw line, while the WNBA veteran — who joined the Chicago Sky in January after 13 seasons with the LA Sparks — went with an underhand approach.
After a complete airball by Wade on the first attempt, the three-time NBA champion came close to the hoop — aka, the Hall-of-Fame center’s wide-open mouth — which resulted in the duo losing their cool.
Both Wade and Parker burst into laughter, as did Lefkoe. Then, they dispersed in separate directions when O’Neal wake from his snooze. He sat up with a smirk on his face.
“Always sleeping,” Parker says as the video ends, giving a glimpse at the behind-the-scenes life of the Lakers legend.