Here’s The ‘NBA 2K16’ Trailer For Shaq, Ernie And Kenny’s Adorable Buffoonery

The Inside the NBA crew is in the new NBA 2K16 game set to drop later this month. Except, there’s no Charles.

Some will say that Chuck is the fulcrum by which the Emmy-winning show hinges. Actually, most will say that. Charles is enough of an institution to score a deal with CNN, one where he’ll actually be talking about something other than basketball. While Barkley’s no-holds-barred editorializing form the nucleus of the show’s popularity, he’s not in the newest trailer for NBA 2K16.

Ernie and Kenny used to be the straight men to Chuck’s off-the-cuff imbibing of controversy, but then Shaq joined the triumvirate as a mumbling (he’s gotten better) fourth wheel, as it were. Shaq and Kenny were in last year’s 2K release, and now Kenny joins forces with them to try to bring the same TNT magic to the virtual world. Except, in the corporeal realm, Chuck is the obvious star.

Heck, even TNT broke out the 100 percent blue agave and bottled grapes to keep the bald-headed Round Mound of Rebound. But in the above trailer it’s just the other three left to entertain us.

That’s because Chuck has been notoriously protective of his likeness when it comes to video games. It purportedly took a call from that year’s executive producer, Jay Z, to get Chuck on-board for the 2K13 Dream Team edition. He wasn’t even included in early NBA Jam and NBA Action 95 versions because of his own Barkley Shut Up and Jam! So the fact he isn’t in this year’s 2K release, isn’t a big surprise, even if it’s disappointing.

Still, Ernie will always be the perfect straight man for any Inside the NBA bit, and Shaq and Kenny have developed a bit of a rapport, at least enough to get their own spot together for Mortal Combat X.

It’s not the same without Chuck, but it’ll do for the virtual world, which it’s always important to remind our readers isn’t real life.

(NBA 2K)

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