Charles Barkley has been the point of interest of many of the chatter about what occurs to TNT’s iconic “Contained in the NBA” studio crew if the community formally loses NBA rights. Shaquille O’Neal must be proper up there with him.
TNT’s mother or father firm Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) has sued the NBA, saying that the league infringed on its “matching rights” in choosing Amazon’s bid over theirs.
The NBA has contended that WBD didn’t match the phrases of Amazon’s streaming-first package deal on their Prime Video service and the matter is tied up in litigation.
Ought to this matter get resolved, both by a settlement or a ruling within the NBA’s favor, the place TNT is out of the NBA enterprise, there might be a feeding frenzy amongst Amazon, NBC and even ESPN for TNT’s acclaimed secure of studio broadcasters and recreation announcers.
Barkley, who lately introduced a long-term dedication with TNT Sports activities with or with out the NBA, beforehand had mentioned that he had an out in his deal with the community if it didn’t renew its NBA rights.
Business sources imagine that O’Neal, 52, has an analogous contingency in his contract.
If Barkley is the highest goal in a possible broadcasting free agent frenzy — if he even works in a distinct studio present after TNT — then O’Neal is the clear 1A.
He’s a four-time NBA champion who has been extraordinarily profitable in his post-career enterprise endeavors, in addition to a fascinating and humorous broadcaster.
There’s additionally the Q-score ingredient.
“Shaq is among the few monoculture sports activities superstars left within the enterprise right this moment. Shaq and Charles [Barkley] are just like Snoop Dogg the place everybody from grandmas to younger youngsters know who they’re and love them,” Nate Jones, an NBA agent at Goodwin Sports activities who works intently with Damian Lillard and actively displays the media setting, advised The Publish.
“It’s very laborious for sports activities stars of this fractured social media period to interrupt via like these guys have, in order that they have actual worth to sports activities broadcasters and their model companions. Shaq is almost a decade youthful than Charles, so he doubtless has a bit extra runway as a sports activities character than Charles at this stage.”
Within the situation the place TNT loses the NBA, Amazon and NBC will each be constructing NBA studio reveals from scratch.
ESPN also needs to think about bringing in O’Neal, as “NBA Countdown” has been a revolving door of hosts and analysts over the previous decade-plus.
In some methods, O’Neal would fill a necessity akin to when ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro spent huge to poach Joe Buck and Troy Aikman from Fox Sports activities to announce “Monday Night time Soccer.”
In one other attainable possibility for O’Neal, the Wall Avenue Journal reported earlier this month that TNT is contemplating the thought of constant the “Contained in the NBA” panel as a basic sports activities present even when it loses NBA rights.
Different studio analysts at TNT who must be within the combine for roles at different networks embody Candace Parker and Draymond Inexperienced (who remains to be an energetic participant with the Warriors).
Final week, Jamal Crawford, who was on TNT’s Tuesday studio crew final season, introduced that he’s at present a media free agent.
Chris Webber, who left his function as a TNT shade commentator in 2021, is also up for a studio or recreation analyst function subsequent yr.
Kenny Smith’s contract standing is unknown, however he would additionally doubtless be up for a brand new studio function in 2025 if TNT is out of the NBA enterprise.
