SAN ANTONIO — Shaquille O'Neal had a slight blunder on national TV that resulted in a hearty donation of meals to underprivileged kids.
During last week's "Inside the NBA" tip off segment on TNT, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal were joking around when the duo accidentally butchered their fake Spanish skills, reports say.
According to reports, Barkley initially called Shaq "ugly" in Spanish. Shaq tried to fight back, asking the studio how to say "fat a**" in Spanish, only to then call Barkley "El Pollo Loco." Shaq had also reportedly mispronounced the phrase.
El Pollo Loco responded to the blunder graciously with a statement. The company said that while they couldn't condone that type of language they couldn't stay mad at Shaq and donated 100 El Pollo Loco meals to the Shaquille O'Neal Foundation.
The Shaquille O'Neal Foundation is known to help youths from underserved communities.
The company also mentioned how Barkley had previously mentioned liking their chicken noodle soup. El Pollo Loco clarified they do not serve chicken noodle soup and believe Barkley was talking about their chicken tortilla soup.
The full statement from El Pollo Loco can be found below:
“It has come to our attention that on a event episode of NBA Tip-Off on TNT. Shaquille O’Neal incorrectly translated our name. While we don’t condone the language, we couldn’t stay mad at The Diesel. To show there are no hard feelings, we’re donating 100 El Pollo Loco meals to the Shaquille O’Neal Foundation, which works to create pathways for underserved youth to help them achieve their full potential. Our legal team has also asked us to clarify that while we’re thrilled to hear Sir Charles Barkleyt is a fan of our soup, we don’t serve chicken noodle. We think he meant chicken tortilla soup. We’ll get some bowls of that over to you ASAP, Chuck.”
