“It’s gonna be fun!” – Shaquille O’Neal opens up on last year with favorite TV show, Inside the NBA

The end is almost near for TNT’s popular show, Inside the NBA with its deal with the NBA not renewed. In a recent episode of the “OGs” podcast with Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller, host Shaquille O’Neal spoke about his time on the show where he revealed touching details. 

Shaquille O’Neal said that this new NBA season would be his last on the iconic show, but also hinted at other television opportunities in the works. This sounded like a hint to his fans that his career in the media industry may continue beyond TNT.

I have to be a consummate professional, so we definitely have one year left… In a perfect world, I would love for us to stay together forever, but it’s in the hands of the powers right now. But this last year is gonna be a phenomenal year, you know Chuck is gonna go crazy, I’m gonna go crazy. It’s gonna be fun. Hopefully this is not the last year.
Shaq on the OGs show

Long before he started his career in the media industry, Shaq was a dominant NBA player, with an impressive 19-year career. He averaged 23.7 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game. Shaq called it quits in 2011 and proudly boasts a rich resume as a four-time champion and a 15-time All-Star.

However, fans will be anxious to know what the future of “Inside the NBA” holds, as the show faces the possibility of a potential extinction due to a new media rights deal between the NBA, Amazon, and NBC. This new deal which is expected to generate more revenue for the league is currently in a legal dispute to determine its fate. 

Shaquille O’Neal on the reason he’s hard on Rudy Gobert

Shaquille O’Neal has not given up on constantly criticizing Minnesota Timberwolves center and reigning DPOY Rudy Gobert. On his podcast, ‘the Big Podcast with Shaq’, he explained the reason behind his jabs. Big Shaq stated that he wanted to see the Frenchman play with more intensity. It should be similar to the effort put forth by NBA legends who helped establish the high salaries in the league today.

Furthermore, he specifically mentioned legends like David Robinson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Patrick Ewing, who didn’t earn the outrageous kind of money Gobert does now. He also asserted that his criticism is a means of motivating the DPOY to step up his game. 

When I made the comments about Rudy Gobert, people think it’s personal. Yea, it’s personal for guys like David Robinson, who only made $116 million. Fabulous player, Hall of Famer. Kareem, most he ever made was $3 million. Patrick Ewing, $112 million. Bill Russell, $100,000. Just play hard. You’re making $250 million. That’s all I’m saying.
Shaquille O’Neal on the Big Podcast

Unfortunately, this ongoing feud has become personal, with Gobert also responding to O’Neal’s critiques. And as the Timberwolves enter the season as one of the favorites in the hotly contested Western Conference, the rivalry between O’Neal and Gobert is expected to continue if he doesn’t improve his game play.