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Shaquille O'Neal is staying with TNT for the long haul.
The NBA legend is set for a new deal that will pay him $15 million per year, per Front Office Sports. As Inside The NBA moves to ESPN, that means O'Neal will remain with the crew, accompanied by Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson. Shaq initially joined the show in 2011 after 19 fantastic seasons in the Association.
TNT reached an agreement with ESPN late last year to have Inside the NBA on the sports giant for the next 11 years. In exchange, TNT Sports will play a total of 28 college football and college basketball games as part of the agreement.
The ESPN chairman voiced his excitement to bring over the star-studded crew for the foreseeable future when the deal was signed:
“Inside the NBA is universally recognized as one of the best and most culturally impactful shows in sports,” ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a statement. “We have long admired the immensely talented team and are thrilled to add their chemistry and knowledge to our robust set of NBA studio offerings to super-serve NBA fans like never before. The addition of Inside the NBA further solidifies ESPN as the preeminent destination for sports fans.”
Shaquille O'Neal staying put will definitely be good news to Barkley, Smith, and Johnson. Barkley inked a new deal in 2022 and has staved off interest from NBC, Amazon, and also ESPN. After all, Inside the NBA is arguably the most entertaining basketball show on television and it's well-known that it wouldn't be the same without Shaq and Chuck, who engage in banter all the time on live TV.
Smith, who also played a long time in the league, is expected to sign an extension soon, while Johnson doesn't appear to be going anywhere anytime soon since he is the glue of the show.
