Charles Barkley Couldn't Help But Break in SNL's "NBA on TNT: Danny Hoover" Sketch
"That'll move the chains!" Andy Samberg's kid commentator cracked the basketball legend up in this 2010 sketch.
It might surprise you to learn that sports legend Charles Barkley is only one episode short of becoming a member of Saturday Night Live's Five-Timers Club. But when you revisit his work on the show, it's soon obvious why he's been asked back so many times: Barkley brings his huge personality and an up-for-anything energy to every sketch, from his "Scared Straight" entry to parodies of his career as a basketball commentator — including Season 35's "NBA on TNT: Danny Hoover" with cast members Andy Samberg and Jason Sudeikis.
This "NBA on TNT" broadcast is a little different, as sports analysts Barkley and Kevin Harlan (Sudeikis) welcome a young guest to the desk: Aspiring commentator Danny Hoover (Samberg, sitting on a much lower chair), a sick child visiting via the "Wishmaker" program.
"So you want to be a sports announcer someday, is that right Danny?" Harlan asks.
"It sure is," Danny tells them. "I watch every game!"
"That's cool, Danny. I like this kid," Barkley proclaims. The two broadcasters soon find out that what Danny Hoover lacks in basketball knowledge, he makes up for with enthusiasm.
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Andy Samberg made Charles Barkley break in SNL's "NBA on TNT" sketch
It's the L.A. Lakers vs the Orlando Magic, and Harlan starts giving a play-by-play. Little Danny charms Barkley and Harlan when he tags Harlan's calls with a "nothing but the bottom of the net!" But when the Lakers' Kobe Bryant misses a basket after a pass from Derek Fisher, Harlan tries his catchphrase again with less success.
"Not this time, Danny, but you got the right idea," Harlan chuckles. As Magic player Mickael Pietrus misses his shot, Samberg keeps shouting "nothing but the bottom of the net!" with perfect childlike fervor.
Which, in turn, gives Barkley a major case of the giggles — but he collects himself as they move into a fake commercial break and give the child a talking to.
When Harlan suggests to Danny that he try "mixing it up," Danny wonders if he means "maybe mention the net more?"
"Just keep it simple: Something like, 'great defensive player, nice pass'," Barkley, who made his debut as a TNT commentator way back in 2000, advises.
The kid tries that exact comment the second they return from commercials — the only problem is, the game hasn't restarted yet.
"That'll move the chains!"
Danny goes on to make wildly incorrect use of phrases including "he shoots from downtown!" and "buries the tray!" and the confounding, "that'll move the chains!"
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"Now he's switched to football," Samberg marvels as Harlan buries his face in his hands. "Danny, what's wrong with you again?"
"I have OCD," Danny tells the shocked hosts, as Barkley officially flies off the handle. "I said it right here on national television: Danny Hoover's a world-class baloneyhead," he says. But it turns out Danny actually has "Overwhelming Corpse Disease,"
Watch "NBA on TNT: Danny Hoover" from Season 35, Episode 11 above, and stream all 50 seasons of Saturday Night Live on Peacock anytime.
How many times was Charles Barkley on SNL?
Five.
Barkley has hosted four times: September 25, 1993; January 9, 2010; January 7, 2012; and March 3, 2018. His 1993 SNL debut marked Nirvana's second turn as Musical Guest, which put this iconically awkward promo outtake featuring the four into the world (it resurfaced in Questlove and Oz Rodriguez's 50 Year of SNL Music documentary, which is available on Peacock).
His most recent appearance was a cameo during "What Up with That?" on the April 25, 2020 SNL at Home episode.
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