It is now confirmed that the likes of Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson will continue to be a part of Inside the NBA. The licensing deal with ESPN means the quartet will share television space with the likes of Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe.
They might not work together as TNT will still produce the show out of their Atlanta studios. The only difference is, TNT will not be airing the show after they lost the media-rights deal bid. Therefore, the show will continue as they do currently.
It could also mean that some members of the panel might be a part of the NBA Finals going forward. But they will not be able to be a part of live games starting next season. The deal between ESPN and TNT was done to ensure the quartet can continue producing their Emmy award winning show.
ESPN analyst Shannon Sharpe picked up this conversation while speaking on his podcast Nightcap. Once he informed his co-host Chad Johnson the terms of the deal, the NFL Hall of Famer went on to share his two cents about the show.
I’m glad they are staying together. That’s years of chemistry Ocho, that’s years of understanding each other. Shaq and Barkley going at it, one minute they are best friends, next minute they want to tear each other’s heads off. Kenny running to the board, and Ernie is the perfect traffic cop.
Shannon Sharpe on Nightcap
Considering his past beef with Shaquille O’Neal, that was some high praise from the 56-year-old. He has had Charles Barkley over for one of his podcasts. But for most of the time, he was discussing how O’Neal despite his hip-replacement surgery did his best to keep it entertaining.
Has Shannon Sharpe cooled off his beef with Shaquille O’Neal?
The beef between the two Hall of Famers started after the four-time NBA champion talked Nikola Jokic down after his third MVP win. Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson had proceeded to discuss the topic on Nightcap where Sharpe called out the NBA legend for allegedly showing jealousy.
This came to the attention of the Inside the NBA panelist who went on to take shots back at Sharpe. After the ESPN analyst fired back, Shaquille O’Neal even went to the extent of creating a diss track. But at the end, Sharpe tried to calm things down with a message to O’Neal.
Even Stephen A. Smith chimed in with his two cents asking them to stop. Ultimately, the beef did seem to die down as no further conversations came out from either side. Shannon Sharpe seems to have done his part to settle it for good.
