Where will Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley go now? The NBA is set to hand over its media rights and TNT is not a part of the equation. This will be done via an 11-year $76 billion agreement, with Amazon, Disney, and ESPN. As a result, the two former players’ long-running ‘Inside the NBA’ show will end. While TNT has taken the matter to court, expectations are not high. Fortunately, as recently highlighted by an NBA agent, the end of ‘Inside the NBA’ may not necessarily mean the end of the NBA legends’ broadcasting careers.

According to a recent report by The New York Post, if the NBA comes out on top following a settlement or ruling, “there will be a feeding frenzy” among the new media rights owners. They include Amazon, NBC, and ESPN. Barkley signed a 10-year, $210 million deal with TNT. He had specifically placed an ‘opt-out’ option in a scenario like the current one. Reports indicate that Shaq also had placed such an option. In such a scenario, the pair would likely move to the network offering the most.

“Shaq is one of the few monoculture sports superstars left in the business today” said Nate Jones, an NBA agent reportedly associated with Goodwin Sports. “Shaq and Charles (Barkley) are similar to Snoop Dogg where everyone from grandmas to young kids know who they are and love them.” The agent added, “It’s very hard for sports stars of this fractured social media era to break through like those guys have, so they have real value to sports broadcasters and their brand partners. Shaq is nearly a decade younger than Charles, so he likely has a little more runway as a sports personality than Charles at this stage.”

These remarks echo the belief that Shaquille O’Neal’s former agent, Leonard Armato. In an interview with EssentiallySports, Armato highlighted that the decision on who would cover the NBA would ultimately fall upon league commissioner Adam Silver. Looking at what the Lakers legend and the former 76ers star have created over the years, it would be unwise to separate them. As a result, Armato believed “The audience wouldn’t be as big if they’re on Amazon Prime, at least at the beginning. But Amazon would look to at Shaq and Chuck as a way to grow the audience, so they may even pay them more money because of that, who knows.”

While Charles Barkley had been a part of ‘Inside the NBA’ since his retirement as a player back in 2000, the ‘Big Aristotle’ joined in 2011. Along with analyzing games and sharing their opinions about specific players, the duo would join co-hosts Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson Jr to often play pranks and share some witty laughs at each other’s expense. From Shaquille O’Neal taking a dig at Kenny Smith’s pink shorts and misinterpreting Barkley’s words hilariously to “Sir Charles” himself roasting ESPN and making his iconic “Jenna Tahls” joke, the crew certainly brought joy to many viewers. Their popularity never wavered, as a postgame edition of the show, aired back in May 2024, brought in over 2.8 million viewers. Moreover, TNT averaged 3 million viewers during the Western Conference Final against the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Minnesota Timberwolves.

These numbers would be the threshold that the new media rights owners would want to achieve. Recruiting Shaquille O’Neal could be the key to achieving these stats. Wherever the 4x champion chooses to go next, fans hope that the 13+ years of experience with TNT will prevent him from struggling during his first few weeks in broadcasting.

Did Shaquille O’Neal struggle after joining TNT in 2011?

Shaquille O’Neal is today known for cracking hilarious jokes, taking playful gigs at Charles Barkley and creating memorable moments in the studio. However, there was a time when he struggled. The art of showmanship did not come early to the former player upon joining TNT, as Charles Barkley recalled in his recent appearance at Paul George’s podcast. While he certainly carried the enthusiasm, Shaq often struggled with knowing when to perform at his best.

“When Shaq came on, we had some rough things going, because Shaq was really funny. He says, ‘I gotta do something tonight.’ And we’re like, ‘Ok.’ And then the next week, he’s like, ‘I gotta do something tonight.’ We’re like, ‘Ok.’ And, finally, we had to sit him down like, ‘Yo, man, we got seven more damn months of this shit. You can’t try to outdo yourself’” Barkley revealed. “The joke around the studio was, ‘Man, (we’re) about a month from Shaq trying to set himself on fire.’”

Unlike some other sports, NBA regular games run from October to April, with the playoffs taking an additional couple of weeks. Someone like Shaquille O’Neal, who played for 19 years in the same tournament series and won four championships, would know this. However, it was up to Barkley to explain to his counterpart that while an NBA series may be a sprint, covering it is a marathon. Therefore, the need to outdo himself every night was not a requirement outside the basketball court.

Unlike Charles Barkley, the ‘Big Aristotle’ has not been too vocal about whether he would be open to joining another network. With TNT continuing to fight in court, only time will tell what the future holds for the two.

Before you go, remember to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr.