“I’ll Buy the Engagement Ring”: Shaquille O’Neal Puts Viral Pacers Couple in Tough Spot on ‘Inside the NBA’
The Inside Guys have a wedding plan. No, Shaquille O’Neal isn’t tying the knot. Nor has newly-engaged Kenny “The Jet” Smith announced a date with Tia Jurcic. The Inside the NBA crew shifted the focus away from basketball to a viral moment that happened in the stands. Grace and Michael reached the pinnacle of viral fame they were captured in an explicit sideline conversation at the recent Pacers-Nets. The couple was invited on the ESPN showwhere the big guy made things awkward.
To recap, cameras roaming over fans broadcasted Michael’s very emphatic rant get shut down by Grace in a single sentence – “What the f— are you talking about?” It was the statement heard everywhere, related with so many, intrigued even more. Over one weekend, Grace and Michael have been interviewed a few times till they popped up on ESPN’s Inside the NBA.
Obviously, Ernie Johnson had to get to the bottom of this. He immediately asked Michael what the “filibuster” was about. Michael claimed they were discussing “the rigors of a liberal arts education” and the future job market, a story the crew immediately rejected as a “corporate” cover-up. Shaquille O’Neal immediately called cap.
“Michael, I love you and I love your lovely wife, but I don’t believe that story,” Shaq proclaimed, compelling Michael to indirectly admit he was lying. Do note, Michael has consistently said in previous interviews that he was talking about a very socially conscious subject. Shaq is the first to bust him.
Only to be corrected by Grace that she was actually his girlfriend. So the big guy had to rectify that too. In typical Shaq fashion, he saw a golden opportunity for television history and raised the stakes to an astronomical level. “I’ll tell you what. If you ask her to marry you right now, I’ll buy the engagement ring.” That flustered Michael more than Grace’s shutdown in that game did.
Shaq proceeded to Michael on the spot in front of millions of viewers and creating a secondary viral moment for them yelling over the mic, “Do it right now. Get on your knee right now. I’ll buy the ring.”
Michael attempted to negotiate, suggesting he’d pop the question if the entire crew agreed to attend the wedding, but the pressure from the desk remained relentless. Grace initially played along with the expectation of a Shaq-sponsored ring. But she later gave her honest opinion that she didn’t want to get engaged on live TV.
Hilariously, even Charles Barkley chimed in with the best quote in all this. “You’ve already cursed him out on national television. If you turn him down on national television, he better abort! Abort! Abort!”
Despite Chuck raising the stakes even higher, the couple was resolute to get engaged on their own terms and keep deets in that legendary moment an inside joke.
Shaquille O’Neal exposed a viral cover-up
Big Diesel is known to drop four figure tips to his servers and put an entire store’s purchases on his tab. But this is the first time he’s used an expensive trap to sniff out a viral cover-up. When the Pacers played the Nets in Brooklyn, announcer Chris Denari was applauding the impressive number of Indiana fans in attendance. That’s when cameras captured a couple in Pacers gear seemingly having an argument.
Within the same hour, Grace confirmed through her X page that it’s her and her boyfriend.“IM CRYINGGGGGGGG I LOVE MY BOYFRIEND THIS IS JUST HOW WE TALK!!!!!!!!!!!!!” she told the NBA fans who turned her into an Internet celebrity. She took it like a great sport, even sharing many of the memes she inspired and shared the reactions within her social circle.
In a subsequent interview, Michael said their conversation stemmed from a recent New York Times podcast with Ben Sasse, the former Nebraska senator and University of Florida president who was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer in late 2025. Sass’ discussion on the future of liberal arts colleges apparently was more interesting than the Pacers being up by 20.
“We were talking about the academic rigor of a liberal arts education, and essentially how it can be updated for the current economic status and job market,” he claimed. Grace shut him down a second time in that interview. “Even saying that out loud, I can hear you yawning through the phone.” Ouch! Spare some grace, Grace.
That one was over the interview. This time Shaquille O’Neal could see through Michael on their screens. “I could tell by the white smile, ’cause her smile is a little too perfect,” Shaq joked. “You lying like a—you’re man. I don’t believe you’re lying there.”
That’s how O’Neal exposed them. Funnily, Grace said they agreed to come on the show so Michael could get his basketball fan moment. Whereas Shaq is the only basketball player she recognizes because of his commercials.
Grace and Michael, who’ve been together for four years, however didn’t crack. They kept their secret and didn’t get engaged. Yet they got a standing deal that when they do get to the altar, the Inside Guys will be there.
