Inside the NBA – Before Shaq

May 25, 2022

No doubt about it… if you’re a hoops fan, you’re a big fan of TNT network’s “Inside the NBA” program. We talk about it a lot here on ShaqFu Radio, and for good reason. Our man Shaq is one of the biggest reasons the show is so good, so cool. But did you know… there was time before Shaq on “Inside?” It’s true! 

The current lineup includes the Big Aristotle, align with Sir Charles Barkley, Kenny “The Jet” Smith and ringleader Ernie Johnson. The show has won numerous awards, and gets the lion’s share of attention for basketball-related commentary and analysis. Heck, the TNT crew even shows up on other networks for important hoops coverage, both in the NBA and college! So, no doubt, the current program is simply one of the best pre-/post-game shows in sports media, regardless of the game. 

A little history: The show started during the 1990-91 NBA season. Ernie Johnson joined the crew in the show’s second year, and has been the permanent host and voice of reason ever since. 

Among his current colleagues, Kenny joined him first in 1998 following his retirement from the game just a year before that. Then two years later, Barkley joined the on-air team. With his sense of humor and good hoops insights, he’s become probably the funniest basketball analyst ever. Is there such a thing? There is now!

For that fourth chair at the end of the table, there have been several big names to take their shot at Inside the NBA history. Former Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson served as the third analyst between 2003 and 2007. After Magic, Reggie Miller and Chris Webber split the role between 2008 and 2011. Both Miller and Webber have gone on to become sideline announcers and commentators.

Recently, there’s been some NBA-Twitter talk about what Inside the NBA would look and sound like today if TNT had not made the move to replace then-host Chris Webber with Shaquille O’Neal.

O’Neal historians know the big man retired from the game after the 2011 season. His final season was with the Boston Celtics, BTW, a team still making a run in the postseason tournament this year. At retirement time, there were a boatload of opportunities for O’Neal to become a TV commentator. After all, he was already quite the well-known TV star, appearing in numerous commercials and at other events. Being in LA and all, he was pretty much on par with any other Hollywood celebrity.

Turner Sports, owner of TNT and the Inside the NBA franchise, went all out in recruiting Shaq, even with Webber already on the job. It worked. O’Neal joined the show, and Webber was moved to other duties. 

On Twitter, some fans have talked about what the show would be like with Webber instead, but they recognize that O’Neal was absolutely the bigger, more well-known legend of the game. 

Indeed, Webber was an insightful and sometimes humorous guy on the show. He had his share of jokes and good insights on the game and players of the day. Would Webber have been a better pick to stay on the show? We’ll never know.

Just like his time on the court, Shaq’s presence on the set of Inside the NBA is dominant. His verbal (and sometimes physical) jabs with Barkley are some of TV’s funnier moments, for sure. 

Fast-forward through the years. We’ve been watching the current crew of Inside the NBA for a decade now…wow! At this point, it seems the chemistry and hoops wisdom we’re getting from the current crew of Johnson, Smith, Barkley and O’Neal is spot-on and always worth the watch. Will the lineup change someday? Probably. But for now, the current show and lineup is the cream of the NBA analytical crop.

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