With the deal brokered by TNT and ESPN, the ‘Inside the NBA’ show will continue beyond next season. TNT will produce the show and ESPN will broadcast it. Basketball fans will continue to listen to the quartet. However, there is one concern regarding Shaquille O’Neal.
The quartet of O’Neal, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson signed contract extensions in 2022. That was when Barkley signed a massive $200 million deal. However, the two NBA Hall of Famers had exit clauses sewn into their contracts.
Now that TNT and its parent Warner Bros. Discovery lost the NBA media-rights deal, Shaquille O’Neal‘s contract is the one to suffer the most, as the exit clause was based on the fact that he could leave if TNT lost the NBA exclusive deal.
But the same clause does not impact the others, as all of them perform other duties as part of their contracts. The Big Aristotle is on an NBA only deal, which makes his contract after the 2024-25 season null and void. Sources told Sports Illustrated‘s Jimmy Traina about O’Neal’s thoughts on this situation.
While sources say Shaq wants to remain on the show, he’s frustrated that there has been congratulations and press releases hyping that Inside the NBA is remaining the same while he is currently not under contract to be with the company next season.
Jimmy Traina in Sports Illustrated
This insight brings to the forefront the frustration the big man is feeling, as both TNT and ESPN have openly publicized the future of Inside the NBA. But as of now, he is not part of that future. They will have to sort his contract issues out first.
Shaquille O’Neal might want a reworked deal
During the offseason, Shaquille O’Neal speaks on other networks as a part of his continuous exercise to build his brand. With Inside the NBA now going to be an ESPN broadcast, it is unknown if he can continue making guest appearances on their shows.
However, just like when Charles Barkley, Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith are joined by CBS employees as part of their March Madness broadcast, the same could happen at ESPN. There is a distinct possibility that ESPN’s current NBA analysts or anchors could do some work on Inside the NBA and vice versa.
If that were to be possible, the four-time champion could look at a combined deal with both networks, as in the past, he has enjoyed his cameo appearances on ESPN’s First Take. Considering he covers the NBA only, he could even land on ESPN’s NBA Countdown or other shows.
That could give him the creative freedom while also being paid better than the $100 million 10-year contract he currently has. Being on multiple shows and networks could help him grow his podcast production.
