“This Blows Man”: Glimpse Into Future Without Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley & OG TNT Crew Has NBA Fans Disheartened

You thought the Inside Guys would miss this one? Ernie Johnson was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame after a career more stacked than the players he covers. The face of Inside the NBA flew from Atlanta to New York for the ceremony on Tuesday night. Little did he know, Kenny “The Jet” Smith, Charles Barkley, and Shaquille O’Neal also made the trip.

It was not only a surprise to Ernie but also to anyone who tuned into NBA on TNT. The TNT crew was prepared though. But that didn’t go well with the longtime fans who were expecting to see their usual suspects on air.

Inside Guys celebrate Ernie Johnson

Earlier this year, it was Charles Barkley who had the privilege to tell Ernie Johnson he is going to be inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame. The ceremony was in New York on December 12, when NBA games were on. Ernie took the day off from TNT for his day assuming his colleagues will hold the fort.

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When it came time to receive the award, Shaq, Chuck, and Kenny entered stage left. In signature Inside Crew style, they pretended to break the trophy, bring up the EJ’s Neat-O Stat of the Night tagline, and hype Ernie.

Johnson also asked his friends, “Who’s working tonight?” Even the main crew didn’t know. As the headliner of Inside the NBA since 1990, EJ was of course concerned. “There is a TNT doubleheader tonight, and I have no idea who’s in the studio.”

The TNT crew was all prepared to give their main stars the night off. Instead, Studio J had Adam Lefkoe, Grant Hill, Vince Carter, and Jamal Crawford covering the games.

Unfortunately, there was a lot of action on the simultaneous NBA broadcasts to comment on. Fans were hoping for the OG gang to share their thoughts. As much as they’re ecstatic for Ernie, they’re disappointed they didn’t get their immediate commentary.

Fans want the Fab 4 TNT Crew

The absence of the TNT favorites was sorely felt. Reactions poured in during the games while some imagined a distant future without Ernie, Shaq, Chuck, and Kenny. Someone commented on it too right when Barkley has been hinting at retiring.

The quartet was missing a lot too, including their favorite Luka Doncic leading the Dallas Mavericks to a 127-125 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Another huge event they missed was Draymond Green‘s ejection. The Warriors player swung at Jusuf Nurkic’s face, sending the Phoenix Suns pro to the floor. He was ejected from the game on a flagrant 2 foul.

Given how much fun they had with Green’s chokehold incident, they were counting on the Studio J regulars to comment on this too. Maybe Shaq would do a live demonstration of the incident on Chuck again.

While Lefkoe&Co. weren’t bad, it didn’t feel the same. Fans are dreading imagining others replacing the Fab 4 in the future.

One fan captured the bittersweet feelings succinctly – without the Inside Guys, the NBA is simply “not the same”.

As much as everyone knows Ernie and his buddies deserve to revel in his honor tonight, they’ve had a glimpse into the future of TNT. Inside the NBA without Ernie, Shaq, Chuck and Kenny will be a huge adjustment in our NBA viewing.

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