For a little bit there, Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley breathed a rather loud sigh of relief. After all, these two grown men have been cribbing about going on their vacation for a long time now. When the Heat went up 3-0 in the series against the Celtics, all of them just about had their bags packed, ready to jet off to their holiday. However, the series ending up in seven games naughtily delayed the Inside Guys’ plans. Then again, they are paid approximately $10 million or more per year by TNT. Should we really feel bad for them? However, there was a point where all this finally came to an end. Shaq gave everyone a very emotional goodbye… only to then be hit with a massive surprise, one that will last for 2 weeks.
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While everyone loves Inside the NBA, it does not have the television rights to cover the NBA Finals. That honor has been left to ESPN and ABC. Yet, fans have been crying out, praying for there to be some way for O’Neal, Barkley, and Kenny Smith to come back for the Heat vs. Nuggets series. And now, all those wishes may finally have been granted.
Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley, and Kenny Smith will appear on NBA TV during NBA Finals
Shaquille O’Neal makes $10 million per year through his deal with TNT. And after re-signing with them during the last offseason, Charles Barkley is earning an astounding $31.7 million from the company per year. That is a whole lot of money for what seems like a fun job. And yet, the two still seem to want to run away the first chance they get. Perhaps they are akin to the kids in school who can’t wait for the bell to ring and run along home.
But here’s the thing. The Inside crew has been so good at what they do that TNT’s parent company, Warner, decided to extend their run for just a little bit longer. You see, Warner owns NBA TV, which, as mentioned, is one of the few channels allowed to cover the NBA Finals. So they decided to make a few incredibly light changes to the roster of the broadcast.
While Inside the NBA was previewing Game 7, Shaq and Chuck were talking about how delighted they were to take off for vacation after this. However, NBA TV’s host Jared Greenberg reminded them of their future commitments.
Shaq and Chuck need to stop lying … I know they are so excited to join us on @NBATV for Games 1 & 2 of the NBA FINALS!! See you in Denver… or Boston! @NBAonTNT
— Jared Greenberg (@JaredSGreenberg) May 29, 2023
Even after the game, when the Inside cast was talking about jetting off, Jared reminded them of their upcoming work.
Vacation is overrated! Someone should tell @NBAonTNT that Chuck, Kenny and Shaq aren’t on done just yet.
Can’t wait to see those 3 on @NBATV before and after every game of the NBA FINALS!— Jared Greenberg (@JaredSGreenberg) May 30, 2023
While fans around the world are rejoicing with tears of happiness at the moment, we’re not sure Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal are quite happy about the situation, no matter how good their reception was. After all, they had big plans for their summer vacations.
What did Shaq and Chuck have planned for their summer vacation?
Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal wouldn’t be vying to run away from their jobs for just any reason. No, to be fair to them, both personalities do seem to have very good reasons.
For Charles Barkley, covering the NBA finals will hamper the time he would have used to play with his dear grandchildren, Henry and Charlie.
For Shaquille O’Neal, though, things are just a bit more casual. You see, he has been looking to go on a trip to the Bahamas for quite some time now. So, while it’s easy to feel a bit for Chuck, it’s just a bit harder to feel for the $400 million man wanting to go to the Bahamas a tad bit quicker.
