Charles Barkley has been the focal point of most of the chatter about what happens to TNT’s iconic “Inside the NBA” studio crew if the network officially loses NBA rights. Shaquille O’Neal should be right up there with him.
TNT’s parent company Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) has sued the NBA, saying that the league infringed on its “matching rights” in selecting Amazon’s bid over theirs.
The NBA has contended that WBD did not match the terms of Amazon’s streaming-first package on their Prime Video service and the matter is tied up in litigation.
Should this matter get resolved, either by a settlement or a ruling in the NBA’s favor, where TNT is out of the NBA business, there will be a feeding frenzy amongst Amazon, NBC and even ESPN for TNT’s acclaimed stable of studio broadcasters and game announcers.
Barkley, who recently announced a long-term commitment with TNT Sports with or without the NBA, previously had said that he had an out in his deal with the network if it did not renew its NBA rights.
Industry sources believe that O’Neal, 52, has a similar contingency in his contract.
If Barkley is the top target in a potential broadcasting free agent frenzy — if he even works in a different studio show after TNT — then O’Neal is the clear 1A.
He is a four-time NBA champion who has been extremely successful in his post-career business endeavors, as well as an engaging and funny broadcaster.
There’s also the Q-score element.
“Shaq is one of the few monoculture sports superstars left in the business today. Shaq and Charles [Barkley] are similar to Snoop Dogg where everyone from grandmas to young kids know who they are and love them,” Nate Jones, an NBA agent at Goodwin Sports who works closely with Damian Lillard and actively monitors the media environment, told The Post.
“It’s very hard for sports stars of this fractured social media era to break through like those guys have, so they have real value to sports broadcasters and their brand partners. Shaq is nearly a decade younger than Charles, so he likely has a little more runway as a sports personality than Charles at this stage.”
In the scenario where TNT loses the NBA, Amazon and NBC will both be building NBA studio shows from scratch.
ESPN should also consider bringing in O’Neal, as “NBA Countdown” has been a revolving door of hosts and analysts over the past decade-plus.
In some ways, O’Neal would fill a need akin to when ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro spent big to poach Joe Buck and Troy Aikman from Fox Sports to announce “Monday Night Football.”
In another possible option for O’Neal, the Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month that TNT is considering the idea of continuing the “Inside the NBA” panel as a general sports show even if it loses NBA rights.
Other studio analysts at TNT who should be in the mix for roles at other networks include Candace Parker and Draymond Green (who is still an active player with the Warriors).
Last week, Jamal Crawford, who was on TNT’s Tuesday studio crew last season, announced that he is currently a media free agent.
Chris Webber, who left his role as a TNT color commentator in 2021, could also be up for a studio or game analyst role next year.
Kenny Smith’s contract status is unknown, but he would also likely be up for a new studio role in 2025 if TNT is out of the NBA business.
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