Lakers Legend Shaquille O’Neal Hopes 'Inside the NBA' Continues Beyond This Season

The 15-time All-Star has been a consistent presence on the program since hanging up his sneakers.

Jun 9, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Shaquille O'Neal speaks on a broadcast before game two between the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks in the 2024 NBA Finals at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images / David Butler II-Imagn Images

Former three-time Los Angeles Lakers Finals MVP center Shaquille O'Neal's stint as one of the league's most beloved broadcasters may be undergoing a bit of a change during the 2025-26 season.

The fate of "Inside The NBA," the long-running TNT program for which O'Neal co-stars alongside fellow Hall of Fame big man Charles Barkley, former two-time NBA champion point guard Kenny "The Jet" Smith, and Ernie Johnson, is now up in the air. TNT's parent company, Warner Bros., let its exclusive negotiating window with the league close without finalizing a new broadcast deal. Now, the league's television broadcast rights will be split between three companies, not just two. ABC/ESPN (as owned by Disney) will still own a slice, as will NBC and Amazon.

Read More: Watch Shaquille O'Neal School All-NBA Defenders at Team USA Practice

The 15-time All-Star has been a consistent presence on the program since 2011.

Warner Bros. is now suing the league in an effort to re-acquire some broadcast access. In a recent episode of former Miami Heat champions Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller's podcast "The OGs," O’Neal addressed the TNT drama.

“I have to be a consummate professional, so we definitely have one year left. And they’re working on some things, that’s all I’m at liberty to say," O'Neal said. "In a perfect world, I would love for us to stay together forever, but it’s in the hands of the powers right now. But this last year is gonna be a phenomenal year, you know Chuck is gonna go crazy, I’m gonna go crazy. It’s gonna be fun. Hopefully this is not the last year.”

O'Neal enjoyed a decorated 19-year pro career. The Orlando Magic selected the 7-foot-1 big man with the No. 1 pick out of LSU during a loaded 1992 NBA Draft, ahead of eventual Hall of Fame Heat teammate Alonzo Mourning. He was poached by Jerry West and the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent in 1996, and went on to appear in four NBA Finals across his eight seasons with L.A. O'Neal won three consecutive championships, from 2000-02, as the Lakers' best player. He was also named league MVP for the only time during the 1999-2000 season.

After his relationship with fellow All-NBA superstar Kobe Bryant deteriorated, the older O'Neal was traded to Miami in 2004. He went on to win his fourth title with a new All-Star shooting guard teammate, eventual Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade, in 2006. O'Neal, also a 14-time All-NBA honoree and a three-time All-Defensive Second Teamer, also enjoyed stints with the Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics.

More Lakers: Shaquille O’Neal Reveals Thoughts on Los Angeles Drafting Bronny James