Shaquille O'Neal gets brutally honest about working for TNT or ESPN with blunt analogy
After his playing career wound down, Shaquille O'Neal found himself wanting to remain close to the game of basketball. As a 19-year NBA veteran, a life without the game he loved and the league he had become so familiar with seemed strange. He quickly found himself stuck in the middle of a battle between ESPN and TNT, with both sides fighting for where he would work as a broadcaster.
At the time, ESPN wanted O'Neal to be the face of their basketball programming. O'Neal would have had a pretty big role with the company, the self-proclaimed "Worldwide Leader" in sports, serving as the company's lead NBA analyst. They put together a pretty big pitch, which ended up being somewhat off-putting as O'Neal admittedly wasn't really looking to carry a big show by himself.
On the flip side was TNT, where a man O'Neal admired a great deal, Ernie Johnson, was well into his broadcasting career. TNT explained that they wanted Shaq to join Johnson, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith. Content to follow Johnson's lead, O'Neal joined the team. He recalled that a bad day at TNT was far better than a bad day at ESPN.
“My worst day at (TNT) would be a good day," O'Neal said. "My worst day at ESPN would cause me to get fired.”
Below you can view some of his best moments on "Inside the NBA."
Shaquille O'Neal and the "Inside the NBA" team
As Shaquille O'Neal candidly explained last year, Ernie Johnson's presence played a massive role in his desire to sign with TNT. A decade after his decision to sign with TNT, the Hall of Famer opened up on the situation, saying:
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“Listen, I have a different type of love for Ernie Johnson,” O'Neal said. “Ernie Johnson was a guy that I used to watch on TV. He actually came to my house when I was 17 years old to interview me. I love his voice. I love how he treats people."
Shaq-Fu was also asked about how he wound up signing with TNT rather than ESPN. He reflected on the decision and his desire to be a part of a team rather than being a lead, saying:
“I’m not as good as Ernie. So, me being by myself, I’m gonna have to carry. I don’t think my ADHD would allow me to carry a show by myself. Being a teammate on a great team I think has done well for us. … Just being one of the guys is something I enjoy, rather than trying to be the guy. I could never do what Ernie does.”
The decision was clearly the right one given the widespread success of "Inside the NBA." Over the course of the decade Shaquille O'Neal has been on, the show has won numerous Emmy Awards.
With Charles Barkley signing a contract extension with TNT this year, the group seems poised to stay together for years to come.