As Inside the NBA nears the end of its iconic run on TNT, fans are bracing for the end of an era. The show’s current contract expires after the 2024–2025 NBA season, after which the crew of Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, and Shaquille O’Neal will move to ESPN and ABC.
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Tonight, the Inside crew did their final regular-season broadcast on TNT. On their final run, they are reminiscing about their time together by visiting old footage from the vault and old stories.
Shaq was the last of the crew to join the desk, signing on in 2011 after retiring from the NBA. Joining a team that had already built a unique chemistry, Shaq brought with him his humor and larger-than-life personality. Being the newest in the bunch, the big fella wanted to make his mark and had a deep desire to entertain.
Chuck recalled how Shaq wanted to create highlight-worthy moments on every show. He said, “When Shaq first got the job, he wanted to do something funny every night…to top himself. So, after about three weeks, the joke on the show became ‘We’re about a week until Shaq set himself on fire.’”
Even at the age of 53, Shaq is still adamant about channeling the inner entertainer in him. He immediately replied, “I’ll do it right now.” As a veteran on the job, Chuck remembered telling him to calm down a bit as they stayed on TV throughout a long season. “We’re like, Shaq, you’ve only been on TV a month. You can’t outdo yourself every week,” he recalled.
As for Shaq’s offer to set himself on fire “right now,” Chuck said that if he’s going to do it, he and Kenny will help him get some gasoline.
Now that he’s been on TV for a decade and a half, Shaq has turned into a seasoned veteran. Although the urge to create entertaining moments for his audience is still there, Shaquille O’Neal does it more through his jokes. He is part of two TNT shows and runs his own podcast with Adam Lefkoe. It’ll be interesting to hear from Chuck on what he thinks about Shaq’s journey.
