Fans rejoiced as ‘Inside the NBA’ wasn’t canned following news of TNT’s deal with the NBA expiring after this 2024-25 season. However, a select group of fans aren’t all too pleased and believe the show has an adverse effect on league coverage due to overtly negative and at times, uninformed takes from Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley.
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The latter seems to have been the problem yet again tonight as Shaq did not know Ja Morant is out for the Grizzlies-Rockets game due to a right shoulder injury. “I’m looking forward to the Ja Morant-Jalen Green matchup,” said O’Neal.
Upon being reminded of Morant’s ‘OUT’ status, he immediately rescinded this excitement and seemingly discarded the game. Showcasing a sense of disinterest in a game between the 2nd and 3rd seeds in the Western Conference while also being unaware of the injury status of an All-NBA caliber player is concerning.
Fans took to X to call out the ‘Big Aristotle’ for his negligence to stay updated on the happenings in the league. “This basically sums up what’s wrong with Inside the NBA, they don’t care. They’re just there for ratings and memes,” said one fan.
So Shaq didn’t do his homework? Fo any of those guys even watch NBA games? They just go on podcast hating then run to TNT and continue the hating. SHAME!
— Anthony Kingston (@Anthony18598418) January 31, 2025
Why do they take pride in trashing the NBA product?
— NUKE (@NukeVuitton) January 31, 2025
This basically sums up what’s wrong w inside the NBA, they don’t actually care they’re just there for ratings and memes
— James (@JKrigg) January 31, 2025
Another responded with a similar line of thought, saying, “So Shaq didn’t do his homework?” The general consensus around this cluster of detractors against ‘Inside the NBA’ is their reliance on negative takes while chalking up their supposed lack of information to simply not caring.
Shaq has caught flack in the past for not being up to date with the NBA. Christian Wood famously called him a ‘casual’ in 2021 for not being familiar with his game. Fast-forward to tonight and Chuck expressed clear disinterest in the Lakers-Wizards game, exclaiming, “I am not gonna watch.”
Millions of viewers see legends such as Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley on national television and value their opinions given their Hall of Fame pedigree. Bashing the league instead of propping it up to be the spectacle that is could be detrimental in the long run in terms of viewership and the overall perception of the league.
The irony here is the fact that tonight’s Grizzlies-Rockets game was one of the most entertaining matchups of the calendar year. Everything from a botched call by the refs in the waning seconds of the bout to impeccable crunch time defense that led to a 120-119 win for the Grizz made this game perfect for national TV.
