After the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Houston Rockets 107-98 in Game 1 of their first-round series, Inside the NBA followed on ABC to recap day one of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on Saturday night. And it didn\u2019t take long for things to get off track on the iconic studio show.<\/p>\n
Inside the NBA host Ernie Johnson opened the ESPN on ABC show by noting that it\u2019s presented by McDonald\u2019s, and the next two minutes turned into wild McDonald\u2019s-related commentary from the crew. Laughter could even be heard from off-camera Inside the NBA crew members.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hear they got some slappy Happy Meals over there,\u201d Charles Barkley joked.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s that mean?\u201d Shaquille O\u2019Neal asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou see Ice Spice got slapped at McDonald\u2019s?\u201d Barkley asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can almost guarantee you that this was not what McDonald\u2019s had in mind when they sponsored \u2018Inside the NBA.’\u201d \ud83c\udfc0\ud83d\udcfa\ud83c\udf99\ufe0f\ud83c\udf5f #NBA<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/3csnvpAX9M<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 19, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cCome on, man, stop,\u201d O\u2019Neal said while cracking up.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat you doing at McDonald\u2019s in the middle of the night, Ice Spice? Come on, stop that,\u201d Barkley said. \u201cGet it to go.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cExcuse me. Thank you, McDonald\u2019s, for sponsoring Inside the NBA,\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>\n But Barkley wasn\u2019t done.<\/p>\n \u201cI love McDonald\u2019s,\u201d Barkley explained. \u201cI love McDonald\u2019s. [Filet-O-Fish] is the greatest sandwich ever. I love me some nuggets. Just dip in that little barbecue sauce, eat half, then double-dip.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat used to be your pregame meal, did it not? The fish sandwich?\u201d Johnson asked Barkley.<\/p>\n \u201cTwo fish filets, a large fry,\u201d Barkley said. \u201cBut I washed it down with a Diet Coke because I was watching my calories.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, let\u2019s move on,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cEven back then, you were watching your calories? [NBA] Highlights, please. Rockets\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n It appeared that the McDonald\u2019s conversation might be over, but then Kenny \u201cThe Jet\u201d Smith entered the conversation.<\/p>\n \u201cGeorgia Tech,\u201d Smith said. \u201cStop, Georgia Tech. You know why I call [Barkley] \u2018Georgia Tech\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d Johnson asked.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause he\u2019s a Ramblin\u2019 Wreck<\/a>,\u201d Smith explained, which led to laughter for the whole crew.<\/p>\n \u201cI like it. That\u2019s very solid, Jet,\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019d you call it, Chuck? A slappy Happy Meal?\u201d O\u2019Neal asked.<\/p>\n \u201cA slappy Happy Meal over there. Let Ice Spice eat in peace!\u201d Barkley said. \u201cCan you believe that, Shaq? She should have slapped her in the face with a Big Mac. You walk up on me, everything\u2019s on the table.\u201d<\/p>\n The Inside the NBA production crew then showed the viral video of the McDonald\u2019s incident, which led to more laughter and commentary from the crew.<\/p>\n \ud83d\ude33 EXCLUSIVE: Ice Spice was slapped by a fan inside of an L.A. McDonald\u2019s. https:\/\/t.co\/v9zZmQq05w<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/L1lvzOfGsF<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 TMZ (@TMZ) April 17, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI can almost guarantee you that this was not what McDonald\u2019s had in mind when they sponsored Inside the NBA,\u201d Johnson said to cap off a hilarious two minutes of television.<\/p>\n It\u2019s been an uneven and frequently criticized first year with ESPN for Inside the NBA. But Saturday night\u2019s random banter is the sort of material that made the show so popular and unique for 36 years at TNT. Sometimes Inside the NBA is at its best when it\u2019s, well, not even talking about the NBA. Maybe the show should lean into its entertainment and chaotic side more as it tries to finish the season strong<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \t