Shaquille O'Neal's Unexpected Move During ESPN's NBA Finals Broadcast Grabs Attention

It was an emotional moment for Shaquille O'Neal and the entire crew of "Inside the NBA" when the show bid farewell on Saturday as the Eastern Conference finals came to an end. 

The East finals were TNT's last NBA broadcast after failing to renew their TV rights contract with the league beyond the 2024-25 season. This only meant that "Inside the NBA" held its last show on the network after an iconic 36-year run on TNT.  

The good news for the fans is that "Inside the NBA" will remain on air next season. This is after ESPN and ABC acquired the rights to the show, allowing the legendary basketball program to continue reaching its multitude of fans. 

TNT broadcaster Shaquille O'Neal (left) and Charles Barkley.

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

O'Neal was in attendance for Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night, which is being broadcast by ESPN. 

The Los Angeles Lakers icon decided to crash the network's "NBA Countdown" set as Malika Andrews, Stephen A. Smith, Kendrick Perkins and Bob Myers were discussing the upcoming series opener between the Thunder and the Pacers. 

O'Neal's unexpected cameo quickly turned heads on social media. 

"I thought bro physically crashed the set at first based off the caption lol," a comment on Instagram read. 

"Shaquille O’Neal is the most likable NBA player I’ve ever seen 😂" said another. 

"Perk is terrified that shaq is gonna take his job lmfao," a user wrote. 

"Already bringing the TNT vibes to ESPN 😂😂😂" a reaction read. 

"and yall think inside isnt gonna be the same, its gonna be BETTER," declared another. 

"Inside the NBA crew about to turn espn upside down 🔥" predicted a fan.

As indicated by the reaction of the folks on social media, there is already a lot of excitement surrounding "Inside the NBA's" big move to ESPN next season. There's no denying that O'Neal stoked the fire even more with his surprise appearance on the NBA Finals broadcast.