It would be quite impossible to imagine the ‘Inside the NBA’ without Shaquille O’Neal. The Big Diesel joined Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson right after retirement, and that was the perfect start to the second chapter in his life. However, some choices were put in front of the Los Angeles Lakers icon before choosing TNT. Several media houses wanted him for his fun, goofy side, which has made him famous in the television industry. But a certain mindset and thought process helped Shaq take the final call, in retrospect, the right decision. 

On The Big Podcast with Shaq, the NBA icon opened up about the start of his second chapter. Turner Sports, ESPN, etc. were a few famous broadcasting channels that were interested in the 2000 MVP. Anyhow, his ADHD helped him choose TNT over ESPN as he revealed the reason. On his podcast, the host questioned Shaq if there was a chance of signing with ESPN, and he shared, “No there wasn’t a chance. I wasn’t thinking about TV…I still had a year left in my deal”.

His decision to choose TNT over ESPN was no luck. It was a planned decision. Shaquille O’Neal shared, “I’m professional. I realized ESPN is very, very corporate. I have ADHD, AD ADDDDDD. I probably wouldn’t work up there. TNT is a little bit more loose. I said imma go with TNT.” Interestingly, there was another reason behind choosing TNT.

TNT was in Atlanta. Studio J was very close to where Shaq lived. He also said that he has been living in Atlanta for over 30 years. ESPN was in Connecticut and he did not want to move whatsoever. Thus, ‘Inside the NBA’ turned out to be the perfect spot for him to start his retirement life. However, a certain factor of luck also played its part in helping Big Diesel get this deal. 

Shaquille O’Neal got a million-dollar deal from TNT, as he stayed back with his dad

During his last season in the NBA, Shaq was back home after a playoff exit. He had to stay home because his dad was ill, so he decided to call up his friends to throw a retirement party at home. It also involved a presser for which a lot of media houses turned up. That is when he got the offers. He said, “ESPN came, Skipper came, and said, ‘Hey, we want to talk to you’…TNT came and said, ‘I want to talk to you’…And I looked at the number”. It left Shaq speechless. Well, he decided to stay with his dad, and in return, he was blessed with several offers. 

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Now 12 years later, Shaq is still with TNT and has produced some iconic moments alongside Barkley and Smith. They say, ‘Careful what you wish for’, and Shaq follows it. His appearances on live TV for 30 minutes, get him a whopping $10 million a year. Most importantly, the 52-year-old is being himself. He is not changing anything to be unique. This is what matters the most! 

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