End Of Shaq & Charles Barkley’s Inside The NBA Won’t Be Devastating, Hints Kevin Durant: “What I Know About NBA Fans…”

While the clock is ticking for TNT in the NBA world, Kevin Durant had a unique take on the media deal. Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley, the beloved NBA analysts of TNT, have their jobs hanging on a thin thread. Fellow analysts, fans, and even a few players have extended their support to keep the show running, despite the huge media deal going against them. But, the Phoenix Suns superstar, unfazed by all that, appreciated the league’s efforts for the upcoming deal.

In the latest interview with the Wall Street Journal, Durant, alongside his business partner, Rich Kleiman represented their company, Boardroom. The interviewer threw in some tough questions to the guests, but they held it together effortlessly. She asked if the ball fans were ready for the paradigm shift in the NBA’s viewing experience. Notably, fans might have to rely on different subscriptions to watch a few national NBA games after the entry of Amazon Prime.

Kevin Durant immediately batted for the deal, saying, “I think so. What I know about NBA fans is they find the game. They find it anywhere. The NBA does a good job of presenting the game to its consumers.” The superstar also pointed out that having more streaming services would only improve the viewership numbers. One thing was certain about his statement and The Slim Reaper implied it by saying, “The more places that you can watch the games. So many people got different apps that don’t, people have TNT. The more, the better I think…It’s going to be incredible for the league going forward.” 

Moreover, he also added that the league was able to raise a huge deal because of the inclusion of the streaming platforms. The deal’s worth is estimated at around $76 billion in total or $6.9 billion per year.

Kevin Durant’s friend doubled it down with a controversial take

Following KD’s surprising take on the media deal, the interviewer had a follow-up question. She asked whether the fans would find it “confusing” to switch between streaming platforms to watch games. This time it was Rich Kleiman, who had his say. The 47-year-old entrepreneur agreed that it would be confusing initially. He added how it was confusing for him to switch between 1000 channels on broadcast cable but later got used to it. Similarly, he believed that fans would get used to it and also added, “This is just part of the evolution of how consumers are going to get their content from now on.”

Nevertheless, he didn’t stop there. He further went on to drop a hammer on TNT. Kleiman sided with Durant and said the NBA signed a huge deal because of the inclusion of the streaming platforms. And he further said, “It’s why Warner and Turner are having the controversy around whether they get it or not get it… I think we all only know TNT because of the NBA.”

TNT has one more season left in the tank and they would probably be left out after the 2024-25 season. Do you want it to continue? Let us know in the comments.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato had to say about WNBA sensation Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, this video