{"id":123825,"date":"2025-02-15T10:52:46","date_gmt":"2025-02-15T15:52:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=123825"},"modified":"2025-02-15T11:45:02","modified_gmt":"2025-02-15T16:45:02","slug":"shaquille-oneals-tnt-future-takes-definitive-turn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/02\/15\/shaquille-oneals-tnt-future-takes-definitive-turn\/","title":{"rendered":"Shaquille O\u2019Neal\u2019s TNT Future Takes Definitive Turn"},"content":{"rendered":"

Shaquille O\u2019Neal<\/a> has committed to TNT Sports<\/em> with a lucrative new contract, according<\/a> to Front Office Sports.<\/em> His deal, worth over $15 million per year, ensures his presence on Inside the NBA<\/em> even as the show moves to ESPN<\/em>. This decision solidifies TNT\u2019s<\/em> role in NBA<\/a> coverage, despite losing direct broadcasting rights.<\/p>\n

Shaquille O\u2019Neal\u2019s TNT Future Takes Definitive Turn<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Shaquille O\u2019Neal Secures Long-Term Future with TNT<\/strong><\/h3>\n

O\u2019Neal\u2019s contract extension ends speculation about his future. Many questioned whether he would remain on Inside the NBA<\/em> after TNT<\/em> lost NBA broadcasting rights. With the new deal, he stays with the network that has hosted him since 2011.<\/p>\n

TNT<\/em> is licensing Inside the NBA<\/em> to ESPN<\/em> in exchange for a package of Big 12 college football and basketball games. This move keeps the Emmy-winning show alive while shifting it to a new network.<\/p>\n

Inside the NBA Cast Stays Intact<\/strong><\/h3>\n

O\u2019Neal is not the only Inside the NBA<\/em> star committing to TNT<\/em>. Charles Barkley<\/a> and Kenny “The Jet” Smith<\/a> are also staying. Barkley had received offers from NBC<\/em> and Amazon<\/em> but turned them down.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m informing NBC that I will not accept their offer,\u201d Barkley said<\/a> on The Steam Room<\/em> podcast. \u201cI\u2019m gonna cancel future meetings with Amazon. \u2026 My heart is always and will be at Turner Sports.\u201d<\/p>\n

Barkley\u2019s loyalty to TNT<\/em> is significant. He signed a $210 million extension in 2022, making $21 million per year. His presence ensures Inside the NBA<\/em> will maintain its signature chemistry.<\/p>\n

TNT\u2019s Continued Influence in NBA Media<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Even without game broadcasts, TNT<\/em> remains a powerhouse in basketball media. Inside the NBA<\/em> will continue to be produced in Atlanta, with Ernie Johnson expected to stay as host. Johnson has been the show\u2019s foundation, providing balance to the outspoken personalities of O\u2019Neal, Barkley, and Smith.<\/p>\n

TNT\u2019s<\/em> decision to license the show to ESPN<\/em> suggests a strategic pivot. Rather than exiting NBA<\/a> coverage entirely, the network maintains relevance through its acclaimed studio show.<\/p>\n

NBC and Amazon Move to Secure NBA Talent<\/strong><\/h3>\n

With Inside the NBA<\/em> locked in, NBC<\/em> and Amazon<\/em> are scrambling for top-tier basketball analysts. NBC<\/em> is negotiating with Carmelo Anthony<\/a> for a studio analyst role. The network has also signed Jamal Crawford<\/a> and Reggie Miller<\/a> as color commentators.<\/p>\n

Amazon<\/em> is also making moves. The streaming giant has hired Taylor Rooks, Dirk Nowitzki<\/a>, and Blake Griffin<\/a> for its NBA<\/a> studio coverage. Meanwhile, Draymond Green<\/a> is expected to explore media opportunities after retiring from the NBA.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Neal\u2019s Place Among Top-Paid Sports Analysts<\/strong><\/h3>\n

O\u2019Neal\u2019s new contract places him among the highest-paid sports media personalities. His $15 million annual salary matches ESPN\u2019s<\/em> Joe Buck. Barkley, making $21 million per year, remains second behind Tom Brady, who leads all sports analysts at $37.5 million per year.<\/p>\n

ESPN\u2019s<\/em> Stephen A. Smith is expected to sign a five-year, $100 million deal, placing him at $20 million per year. Other top earners include Troy Aikman and Tony Romo ($18 million each) and Pat McAfee ($17 million).<\/p>\n

The Future of NBA Broadcasting Rights<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Starting in 2025-26, NBA<\/a> games will air on ABC, ESPN, NBC, Peacock, <\/em>and Amazon Prime Video.<\/em> The networks are collectively paying $77 billion over 11 years for these rights.<\/p>\n

Despite losing NBA<\/a> games, TNT<\/em> remains a key player in basketball media. By securing O\u2019Neal, Barkley, and Smith, the network ensures Inside the NBA<\/em> continues to thrive. The show\u2019s transition to ESPN<\/em> marks a new era, but its core personalities remain unchanged.<\/p>\n

Shaquille O\u2019Neal has committed to TNT Sports with a lucrative new contract, according to Front Office Sports. His deal, worth over $15 million per year, ensures his presence on Inside the NBA even as the show moves to ESPN. This decision solidifies TNT\u2019s role in NBA coverage, despite losing direct broadcasting rights. Shaquille O\u2019Neal\u2019s TNT […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5018,"featured_media":123856,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,62],"tags":[49811,226,67,1006,161,409,49419,979,49418,377,37974,49655,49257,265,261,3836,708],"class_list":["post-123825","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-nba","tag-amazon-prime","tag-blake-griffin","tag-carmelo-anthony","tag-charles-barkley","tag-dirk-nowitzki","tag-draymond-green","tag-ernie-johnson","tag-espn","tag-inside-the-nba","tag-jamal-crawford","tag-kenny-smith","tag-nba-coverage","tag-nbc","tag-reggie-miller","tag-shaquille-oneal","tag-stephen-a-smith","tag-tnt"],"modified_by":"Kayla Fonte","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123825","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5018"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=123825"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123825\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":123857,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123825\/revisions\/123857"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/123856"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=123825"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=123825"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=123825"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}