In 1989, Inside the NBA began with Ernie Johnson and a full head of hair. 35 years later, this unscripted 18x Emmy-winning series with its star quartet of goofball analysts is a pop culture staple on TV. To celebrate three decades of Shaquille O’Neal, Ernie Johnson, Kenny ‘The Jet’ Smith, and Charles Barkley, TruTV gathered some pop culture icons to explain how Inside the NBA is significant in a much-anticipated docuseries.

The Inside Story premiered on TruTV on February 12. The four-part docuseries goes behind the scenes with a roundtable discussion among the Inside Crew and also interviews with the likes of Snoop Dogg, Magic Johnson, Kenan Thompson, and more. Snoop Dogg, who has a longstanding friendship with the Inside Guys, describes the quartet’s chemistry best. “Everybody brings their own style to the table. You can be you, he can be him, they can be them. And it all comes together. Then you have a magical show like what you guys have.”

The documentary boasts over 2000 hours of footage and 100 interviews with celebrity friends of the Inside Guys. Snoop Dogg actually echoed something similar to what Ernie Johnson said when he was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame. “It just kind of happens from one night to the next that, ‘Oh, everybody’s talking about what Shaq did,’ or, ‘Charles said this,’ [or], ‘Kenny said that.’ That, I think, [has] been the real key.”

Calvin Broadus was here for his old friend. “Shaq as an entertainer is one of the most brilliant, funny people I’ve ever been around.” He’s already dubbed O’Neal the ‘Greatest NBA Rapper of All Time.’ So he’s never short of praise for his favorite NBA analysts.

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Snoop Dogg’s best moments with the Inside Guys

Inside Story is also throwing it back to when Snoop was blending in with the Inside Guys. The diehard Lakers fan made opening night in 2020 a memorable broadcast. Another time, he didn’t hang out with the Inside Guys but showed off his 3-point range in front of Kevin Garnett on the show.

The most memorable Snoop Dogg appearance though came in 2017. He dropped by TNT to perform “Gin and Juice” on NBA opening night. The beats for the same were provided by none other than DJ Diesel. Snoop freestyled to Shaq’s beatboxing long before he headlined O’Neal’s charity event.

In 2016, the rapper extraordinaire also gifted LA’s own, Kobe Bryant, a customized Lakers lowrider as a retirement gift. More of Snoop Dogg’s moments along with other memorable episodes will be relived on The Inside Story. It’s now available for streaming on TruTV.

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