Thursday on TNT’s “Inside the NBA,” NBA legend and analyst Charles Barkley took a shot at “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett over his alleged fake hate crime against himself and actor Liam Neeson, who revealed this month he intended to kill a black man after he learned a friend was raped by one.

“America, do not write checks when you commit illegal activity,” Barkley advised, hinting at reports Smollett paid two black men by check to stage his attack.

“Jussie, you wasted all that damn time and money,” he added. “You know what you should’ve [done]? Just went out into Liam Neeson’s neighborhood. It’ll solve all of your damn problems.”

“Charles!” a laughing Shaquille O’Neal exclaimed as the show cut to commercial.

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