Shaquille O’Neal is making it known that he’s not concerned about NBC’s “NBA Showtime,” and “NBA on Prime” competing with “Inside the NBA.”
Appearing on ESPN Radio’s “The Rich Eisen Show” O’Neal spoke about the show’s debutm which he co-host with Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Erinie Johnson, on the Worldwide Leader. The Hall of Famer praised ESPN for letting “Inside the NBA” do what it does best and expressed he’s not worried about the other NBA shows.
“The ESPN executives did a great job when they came and met with us, and they said, ‘We’re not gonna bother you.’ And I said, ‘What about when Chuck talks about San Antonio women?’” O’Neal recalled.“They said, ‘We’ll deal with that when it happens, but we’re not gonna bother you, we’re not gonna micromanage you guys, it’s gonna be the same show.’
“Shout out to all the guys at TNT that fought for keeping it the same. Cause I’m looking at all the other shows, they’re not even close,” O’Neal said with a laugh. “They’re not even close! You can’t say it, but I can.”
Barkley also praised ESPN for the smooth transition.
“No, it’s been great,” Barkley shared in an interview on “The Dan Patrick Show.”
“I said this, and I wasn’t kissing anybody’s ass. You know I ain’t gonna kiss nobody’s ass. That’s the best thing about having money, is I don’t have to listen to anybody. It’s an honor and a privilege to work for ESPN because every kid grew up wanting to be on ESPN, they did…so it’s an honor to work for them. And we only did three shows, and they’ve been great. They’ve left us alone.”
Contrary to Shaq’s sentiments, fans have praised the hosts of t the new shows. NBC’s NBA Showtime features Maria Taylor, Carmelo Anthony, Vince Carter, and Tracy McGrady. Prime Video’s team launches Taylor Rooks, Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, Blake Griffin, and Udonis Haslem on set.