Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley appear in TNT’s new commercial.

Shaquille O’Neal, Julius Erving and Charles Barkley hilarious commercial ahead of playoffs (via YouTube/Fan Arch)

Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley continued their on-screen bromance, and they now took it a step further. They were on ‘couples counseling’ as part of TNT’s promotion for the upcoming NBA playoffs.

Viewers and fans have been drawn to the pair for their intense connection, where they have demonstrated a passionate love-hate relationship while working together on TNT’s Inside the NBA and going more than just giving game and basketball analysis to engaging in, at most times, hilarious and entertaining content for their cherished viewers.

While promoting the upcoming playoffs, Hall of Famer and NBA legend Julius ‘Dr. J’ Erving played the role of a therapist who was brought in to help both Big Shaq and Chuck to find a solution to their long-lasting problems as a TV ‘couple’ and help with their trust issues. Dr J got the ball rolling:

So it’s the playoffs. What brings you two in here today? Why are you looking at me?

Julius Erving quipped

Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley’s response afterward demonstrated friction in which Shaq responded to Erving:

Is it necessary to ask?

Shaquille O’Neal asked

The back-and-forth, humorous jabs, the sarcastic replies, and even a failed “trust fall” hinted at underlying trust issues that required the services of a therapist. The commercial aimed to demonstrate the importance of trust as teams make it into the postseason.

The playoffs will begin on April 20, and on TNT, would have the usual crew of Big Shaq, Chuck, Ernie Johnson, and Kenny Smith.

Shaquille O’Neal reveals the history of his bromance with Charles Barkley

Shaquille O’Neal, while on the “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend” podcast, revealed that his love-hate relationship with Chuck was from their mothers, who have both been friends for 20 years now.

Big Shaq narrated a conversation with his mum after he and Barkley had a heated discussion in 1999. From there, he learned that both their mothers had been friends for two decades, much to his surprise.

The phone call was from my mother and his mother on three-way. She said, 'This is mama Barkley, you two got to cut that s*** out.' And then my mom was, 'You and Charles need to stop that,' and I said, 'Yes, ma'am.' After that, I called my mom again and asked her how she knows his mom, and she said they'd been best friends for 20 years. Charles Barkley's mom and my mom were friends for 20 years, and I never knew that.

Shaquille O’Neal said

The pair once engaged in a heated argument that resulted in them being separated by teammates. However, when they realized the relationship between their mothers, it helped quell the tension and resulted in the bromance we’ve all seen from the two legends on-screen.