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The return of 'Inside the NBA' proved to be too much for Charles Barkley after he suffered a hilarious mishap on Wednesday night.
Barkley joined Shaquille O'Neal, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson Jr on broadcast as they kick-started their new era on ESPN, following their tumultuous move from TNT.
Fans were delighted with how the show turned out, following fears that the change in network could see wholesale changes to the layout and structure.
However, the quartet came back as if they had never left. Their on-screen chemistry remained evident - particularly when Barkley suffered his embarrassing mishap.
During the broadcast, shortly after the San Antonio Spurs' blowout victory over the Dallas Mavericks, Barkley accidentally snapped his glasses in half.
The moment was caught on broadcast cameras and the 'Inside the NBA' team had no issue in showing it over and over, all while poking fun at Barkley.
Charles Barkley suffered a hilarious mishap during Inside the NBA's return on Wednesday
The analyst accidentally snapped his glasses in half during their broadcast
Reflecting on the moment, Ernie Johnson said: 'I would say our first night has been a lot of fun. Things have gone almost perfectly with the exception of one episode with the Chuckster [Barkley]'.
A side-by-side image of Barkley and Bennie Wilson in the 1989 film Harlem Nights - where he wore a comically large pair of glasses - was then shown on screen.
Meanwhile, ESPN's official X account wrote: 'Hopefully Chuck will have some new glasses for the show tomorrow'.
The hilarious moment capped off a successful return to air for the quartet, with fans thrilled that ESPN chiefs had largely left the structure, design and format alone.
Taking to X, one fan wrote: 'As much c**p as we give ESPN - some rightfully so - gotta give it to the network for leaving Inside the NBA exactly the same'.
Another said: 'Absolutely love the Inside the NBA on ESPN! It’s the same crew, studio and music as on TNT. They will be a much improved pre game show compared to what ESPN had last year for sure!'
Similarly, one wrote: 'Perhaps the smartest move in network tv history, not changing a thing about inside the nba in the tnt to espn switch'.
