As Inside The NBA and TNT prepare for a big transition, the largest member of the team will be staying in place.
On Friday, Front Office Sports reported Shaquille O'Neal had agreed to a huge new contract with TNT to stick around as Inside The NBA moves to ESPN in the wake of Warner Bros. losing the rights to broadcast the NBA. Per Michael McCarthy and Ryan Glasspiegel, the deal is worth $15 million annually.
Shaq's contract status was looming large as the NBA hit its All-Star break. It felt like no guarantee that Inside The NBA was going to survive the network's loss of NBA rights once that news became official. However, November brought news that TNT would license the popular studio show to broadcast on ESPN and ABC beginning with the 2025-26 season. Even with that boon, though, it seemed very much in question whether all four members of the gang would be retained.
NBA fans need worry no longer. It now seems that Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Shaq are in it for the long run on the Inside The NBA set.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Shaquille O'Neal Reportedly Agrees to Massive New Contract With TNT.
