Who Is Jenna? Exploring All Possibilities Of Shaq’s Greetings To TNT Best Friends Amidst His Rare Absence From Live Show

The esteemed crew over at ‘Inside the NBA’ is currently facing an uncertain future. Rumors continue to swirl that TNT is set to lose its media rights by the time the ongoing NBA tournament concludes, and hundreds of people’s jobs could be put at risk. Furthermore, this would cause the dynamic and entertaining group of Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson Jr. to go their separate ways. In such a situation, Shaq seems to be doing his best to keep his and his co-hosts’ spirits up.

The 52-year-old basketball legend took to his official X account to send out a tweet. He highlighted his three co-hosts, along with Vince Carter, who has been a TNT analyst for quite some time now. Big Diesel did not choose to say much to his brothers-in-arms except “Jenna says hi”. 

This brings out the question: Who/What is Jenna?

The most likely explanation is that Shaq’s remark references a joke/prank that Charles Barkley played on the crew almost a year ago. After the 76ers legend exclaimed “Jenna” during a segment back in May 2023, Shaq asked, “Jenna Who?” In turn, Barkley replied, “Jenna Tahls”, sending the rest of his co-hosts to experience fits of laughter. Barkley’s remark may have been a wordplay at ‘Genitals‘, used in the “Jenna Tahls” to bring out some humor amid the game analysis.

Such moments are what has made ‘Inside the NBA’ as unique as it is right now. From Shaquille O’Neal taking a dig at Kenny Smith’s pink shorts, Charles Barkley making unintentional slip-ups and then later using wordplay to prank his co-hosts, the friendship shared between the four individuals is what has glued the eyes of NBA enthusiasts to the TNT show for the last 13 years. Probably this is what made Leonard Armato, Shaq’s ex-agent proclaim that there’s nothing better than Inside the NBA on the sports media landscape right now in an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports. 

While the above-mentioned ‘Jenna theory’ is the most probable, Shaq’s remark can mean something else, too. For instance, it could reference Jenna Bush Hager, the renowned co-host of NBC’s long-running ‘TODAY’ show. The 42-year-old interviewed Shaquille O’Neal in June 2019, in which the primary emphasis was placed upon discussing his family and life after leaving the NBA. Given that almost six years have elapsed, is it time to make a return to the ‘TODAY’ sets for another quick conversation?

Shaquille O’Neal makes himself unavailable in TNT coverage of the Timberwolves-Nuggets matchup

The recently concluded Game 7 between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Denver Nuggets was expected to be one of the most intense matchups of the ongoing tournament. With both teams possessing a 3-3 record, the game would have decided which roster would take on the Dallas Mavericks during the upcoming Western Conference Finals. Because of this, many people would have tuned in to TNT to watch what the ‘Inside the NBA’ crew would discuss during their pre and post-game segment. However, those people had to soon deal with an unforeseen surprise.

The Sunday Edition of ‘Inside the NBA’ launched with Vince Carter occupying the position that Shaquille O’Neal usually takes up. While Carter has often been filling in for Big Diesel and the Chuckster, his recent appearance and Shaq’s absence were a complete surprise.

The former Lakers star did not clearly explain his absence during such an important game. He had, however, posted something for his fanbase on Instagram, that read, “Humble enough to know I can be replaced, but wise enough to know ain’t nobody else like me.” 

Well, Shaq did get replaced. However, it can’t be said for sure whether this replacement is temporary or permanent.

Do you believe “Jenna” can mean something other than what has been mentioned? Let us know in the comments down below.