INSIDE OUT
Shaq reveals TNT threatened to ‘fire him’ from Inside the NBA as LA Lakers legend declares ‘ours is best show out there’
WBD execs discussed Shaq's initial struggles with The U.S. Sun last year
SHAQUILLE O'Neal has opened up about his difficult beginnings on Inside the NBA.
The Los Angeles Lakers legend joined TNT's iconic studio show in 2011.
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But it took time for O'Neal, 52, to develop chemistry with the rest of the cast, featuring Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and host Ernie Johnson.
In a recent episode of Draymond Green's podcast, Shaq opened up about his initial struggles on the show.
And the four-time NBA champ said TNT execs threatened to fire him if he didn't start being his entertaining self.
"I wanted to be the Black Bryant Gumbel and use big words," O'Neal told Green, who made several Inside the NBA appearances during the 2024 playoffs.
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"TNT said, 'Motherf**ker, we’ll fire your a** tomorrow. Be you,'
"And I think that's what makes our show the best show out there.
"G14 classification. Barkley, Hall-of-Famer. Shaq, Hall-of-Famer. Kenny, two-time champion. Ernie, best analyst in the world.
"[TNT say] 'You guys can be yourself.' We make fun of people, we crack jokes, we do a lot of stuff.
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"The real people who have to get up for work in the morning, if we're keeping you up past your bedtime the least we want to do is entertain you."
Inside the NBA's Days May Be Numbered at TNT
Warner Bros. Discovery sports executive vice president and chief content officer Craig Barry used the same Bryant Gumbel comparison when he discussed O'Neal's tough start with The U.S. Sun last year.
"He came on and he tried to be Bryant Gumbel, and that really wasn't working," Barry said.
"He really just wasn't that good. If you ask him, he would tell you he was not that good."
However, Barry said Inside the NBA producers eventually realized they were to blame for failing to use Shaq's comedic potential at the time.
I wanted to be the Black Bryant Gumbel and use big words.
Shaquille O'Neal
TNT had an epiphany when the 7-foot-1 center famously tripped on the set during a 2015 episode of the show.
"Kind of this door swung open for us, and we realized it's not Shaq. It's us," Barry said.
"We're not producing him correctly. He brings a whole different physical aspect to the show."
Barry added, "We were like, wait a second. OK, we get it. We'll let Shaq be Shaq all over the set.
"And wherever he goes, whatever he does, we'll be there."
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TNT is in danger of losing its TV rights to the NBA with NBC reportedly close to taking over the WBD network's game package.
That would likely spell the end for Inside the NBA when TNT's current broadcast deal expires after the 2024-25 season.