A couple of weeks ago, Ernie Johnson could barely get words out of his mouth as the iconic run of Inside the NBA on TNT came to an end. However, you don’t have to be disappointed. Why? Because the show will continue to air on television, just on a different network. It will be airing on ESPN and ABC next season, keeping the panel of Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith, and Charles Barkley together. Nonetheless, the final TNT sign-off was very personal. “I’m proud to say, for the last time, ‘Thanks for watching us. It’s the NBA on TNT,” Johnson said before getting up for one last time. Although NBA games will not be airing on TNT, it seems they might’ve found their true calling. 

If you’re even a casual tennis fan or a sports fan, there’s a good chance you might have heard about Carlos Alcaraz’s thrilling five-set win over Jannik Sinner. If you haven’t, it was a match for the ages, something that will be a topic of conversation between fans for some time. Nonetheless, you might be thinking, what’s that got to do with TNT? If you’re not aware, this was the first time the network was televising the event, and it’s safe to say they killed it out there. Of course, that had to do with the epic final between the two young superstars, along withCoco Gauff’s win in the women’s final. 

However, ESPN is viewed as the tennis broadcasting giant in the States, with rights for three Grand Slams. This includes the U.S. Open, Wimbledon, and the Australian Open. However, with Carlos Alcaraz and Coco Gauff leading the line, the sport is set to gain massive traction all around the country. This would make TNT’s massive 10-year deal look like a bargain. Before this weekend, many thought that TNT Sports had made a huge mistake by paying a whopping $65 million annually for rights to the French Open, especially when they cost only $12 million a year previously. 

But now, adding this to the network’s already NHL, MLB, March Madness, and FIFA Soccer rights, it seems the network will be in safe hands despite losing the NBA deal. A major reason for their success goes to their swift thinking. That’s because they soon realized that they would not be getting a piece of the new $76 billion NBA deal, TNT pivoted. They got busy scooping the French Open, Mountain West Conference, five NASCAR races, and much more. As TNT embraces its new era, its former employee and “Inside the NBA” star, Shaquille O’Neal, has made a huge admission. 

Shaquille O’Neal makes controversial admission ahead of the NBA Finals

The NBA Finals are well underway. While the Indiana Pacers stunned the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1, the first-seeded OKC brought the series to level terms on Sunday. If you were to ask anyone, they would say that the finals have delivered on their hype so far, with Tyrese Haliburton lighting up Game 1 and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander putting up MVP-level performances. Of course, everyone is now waiting for Game 3 in Indiana. However, “Inside the NBA” analyst and former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal isn’t a big fan. 

Shaq made a huge admission after Game 2, as he stated that he won’t be watching the next games, as Charles Barkley will replace him in the postgame coverage for the upcoming games. “Indiana stole one. I’m just glad it’s not the old format, that 2-3-2. Remember that format? That 2-3-2? So now we have a series. I won’t even be watching,” Shaq said. He referred to the old NBA Finals format that would’ve given three straight home games to Indiana after winning Game 1. While this would’ve been devastating news for the Thunder fans, it’s the other half of his statement that raised concerns from fans. 

“I’m going to be in the Bahamas,” O’Neal added. Although his fellow panelist tried to remind him that he could still watch the games while on vacation, the former NBA star doubled down on his statement. “Not in the ocean,” He said. While Shaq can be sarcastic sometimes, it seems that this time he was serious. The show has been a talking point due to its lack of X’s and O’s type of coverage, while their heading to a new network, it seems not much would change given Shaq’s recent comments. Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see how the show does on ESPN in the upcoming season.