Charles Barkley wasted no time making headlines on the first "Inside the NBA" show of the season as he called out Shaquille O'Neal's "dangerous" relationship with FBI Director Kash Patel live on air.

Barkley, 63, returned for ESPN's halftime and postgame studio show alongside O'Neal, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson as a studio pundit on Wednesday to mark the start of the 2026-27 NBA season, much to the delight of basketball fans everywhere.

Some of the highlights from the first-round action included LeBron James making his Philadelphia 76ers debut against the reigning champions, the New York Knicks, on Tuesday, though Madison Square Garden proved a hostile arena for the four-time NBA champion.

On Wednesday, however, it was Barkley and fellow former NBA star O'Neal who grabbed the attention as a result of an on-air exchange between the pair, as the former took aim at the latter for his involvement with law enforcement.

"Shaq" has been a reserve officer in several police departments around the country, including the Los Angeles Port Police, Miami Beach, and Doral. He's also been sworn in as a sheriff's deputy in Clayton County, Georgia, and as an honorary U.S. Deputy Marshal.

Last month, he attended a session of FBI National Academy graduates to support the next generation of service members, and whilst there, Patel made him an honorary Special Agent, with the 7-foot-1 star towering over the FBI Director as he received his stripes.

At the time, Shaq had joked that his Inside the NBA co-host, Barkley, should be arrested, and now the latter has gotten his revenge by taking a lighthearted shot at the Los Angeles Lakers legend while they were covering the Miami Heat and Minnesota Timberwolves game.

As he stood alongside Shaq with Smith and Johnson in the studio, Barkley said, "Should we be standing this close to Shaq? He's been hanging out with Kash Patel. That's dangerous."

The comment sparked laughter from all his co-hosts, including Shaq himself, as Johnson responded: "Ooh! Ooh! Oh, I didn't know you were going there. But I should have known you would."

The moment was just another example of the strong relationship between the two, and Shaq arguably laughed the loudest out of all of them, with the towering former pro even putting his arm around Barkley as he struggled to contain his laughter.

Fans were equally amused by the exchange, with many lending their support to Barkley for calling out Shaq live on air and expressing their love for the show.

"Can't believe they tried to cancel this show," one person wrote on X. "Kash Patel catching strays in the middle of an NBA broadcast is exactly the kind of unhinged I need from Chuck," laughed another.

"Ernie Johnson: 'I should have known you would' is the best scouting report on Charles Barkley ever," commented a third, while a fourth person added, "One thing Chuck gone do is call a muthaf---a out."