SHAQUILLE O’Neal said she was happy to see Draymond Green join Inside the NBA during the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
The Golden State Warriors star made several appearances on the iconic TNT show during the postseason, sparking controversy with some of his comments.
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Green, 34, has been criticized for his overly negative analysis of the Minnesota Timberwolves during their postseason series with the Denver Nuggets and Dallas Mavericks.
But O’Neal, 52, apparently had no problem with the 2017 Defensive Player of the Year’s performance as a broadcaster.
“I think the reason they hired you [is] You’re very smart,” Shaq told the Warriors forward on the latest episode of your show on YouTube.
“You are definitely one of us. You know how to make jokes.
“You and Charles [Barkley]Also, you guys make me roll.
“Welcome to the team. I’m glad you’re here.”
Viewers accused Green of having a personal vendetta against Rudy Gobert following his scathing attacks on the Timberwolves’ center during the Nuggets series.
A few months earlier, the four-time All-Star put Gobert in a headlock during Golden State’s regular-season matchup with Minnesota.
Additionally, Wolves stars reportedly boycotted Inside the NBA following Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals with the Mavericks because of Green’s presence on the panel.
It was “a sign of support for Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns” after the pair were “the subject of derisive and apparently personal criticism” from Green, according to The Athletic.
Meanwhile, O’Neal opened up about his rocky start on the TNT show.
The Los Angeles Lakers legend told Green that the network almost fired him as he struggled to develop chemistry with Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley and host Ernie Johnson.
“I wanted to be the black Bryant Gumbel and use big words,” Shaq said.
“TNT said, ‘Son of a bitch, we’re going to fire you tomorrow. Be you.'”
Inside the future of the NBA?
The operation of the NBA on TNT Sports is in great doubt due to the NBA’s broadcast agreements.
The Emmy-winning sports show is a fan favorite thanks to the likes of Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley.
But TNT’s broadcast deal with the NBA ends after next season and NBC appears poised to take over those rights in a $2.6 billion deal.
If TNT loses its NBA package, it will raise serious questions about the popular Inside the NBA.
One solution could be to recreate the show on another network, which would snatch the rights from the NBA.
“And I think that’s what makes our show the best there is.
“Rating G14. Barkley, Hall of Fame. Shaq, Hall of Fame. Kenny, two-time champion. Ernie, best analyst in the world.
“[TNT say] ‘You can be yourselves.’ We make fun of people, we tell jokes, we do a lot of things.
“Real people who have to get up for work in the morning, if we’re keeping you up past your bedtime, the least we want to do is entertain you.”
Within the NBA it could come to an end next year, after more than 30 seasons.
That’s because NBC is close to snatching the TV rights from the Warner Bros. network. Discovery and leave it without NBA games for the first time since the late 1980s.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
