When one door closes, another opens. That’s how many are coping with Inside the NBA moving from TNT to ESPN. There’s been a lot of talk about whether the show’s universally loved vibe will change. Fans are especially worried that ESPN won’t give Kenny Smith, Shaquille O’Neal, Ernie Johnson, and Charles Barkley the same freedom they enjoyed before—freedom that made them who they are today.
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Inside the NBA’s charm has always been its honesty and unpredictability, and B-Ball fans don’t want that watered down. Even famed analyst Rachel Nichols has wondered how O’Neal and Barkley will fare on ESPN, given how off-the-cuff they can be at times on air.
It’s hard to picture the crew holding back just to fit a more polished network image. Fortunately, that doesn’t seem like something admirers of the show will have to worry about. Thank you, Big Shaq.
O’Neal addressed this topic during a recent interview on the Rich Eisen Show. When Eisen asked Shaq if he was nervous about ESPN holding back what made Inside the NBA great, “The Diesel” stood his ground.
“I don’t have concerns,” said the four-time NBA Champion. “Because I know one guy that you are never going to change, and I know another guy that’s really close to him.” To further drive that point home, Shaq ran down the crew’s strengths together as a team.
“Ernie is a consummate professional. He can adapt to any situation. And Kenny is a professional. But you know Chuck is right there on the line, and I’m right below Chuck. Chuck’s not changing. I’m not changing,” he stated.
“We’re gonna go, have fun, do what we do, talk about the game that we love and try to make people laugh,” Shaq added.
It’s hard to imagine ESPN putting any sort of leash on O’Neal or Chuck. They basically give Pat McAfee free rein. The same can be said for Kendrick Perkins, who arguably says WAY more out-of-the-box stuff—whether it’s intentional or not.
We know Chuck won’t change, because he said it on television once
Shaq has been on a media tour lately, speaking about Inside the NBA’s move and addressing many of the same questions about whether ESPN will try to rein him and Barkley in.
The Hall of Famer instead shared a story from years ago, when TNT called the crew in for a pre-production meeting. Top executives confronted Barkley about some questionable comments he made about San Antonio women. How did Chuck respond? By going on air.
“Some of y’all don’t like my sense of humor. Here’s what I got to say. Turn off your damn television. I’m not gonna change,” said Barkley. This made Shaq laugh so hard that he nearly fell over, especially when Chuck brought up the “big” San Antonio women.
“After that, I love that motherf***er even more. He was real,” said Shaq in The Pivot Podcast a day ago.
That’s just good television. Rather than hide who the crew is, they leaned into it. They wanted to have fun while talking about basketball. Why wouldn’t they?
Lifelong friends—three of whom had massive success in the NBA—now get to stay plugged into the game they love. It’s a recipe for a home run.
