Shaq was a guest on Conan this week and there is something about these janky late-night TV shows that’s oddly comforting. These shows are being filmed at home with the same equipment you or I would have access to and that gives them an added sense of sincerity, at least from my vantage point.
During his appearance on Conan, Shaq discussed how this has been the ‘toughest year’ of his life. He lost his baby sister, his friend and partner Kobe Bryant who he’ll forever be linked with, and that’s all before the health crisis of the past few months that has thrown everyone’s lives into flux. In this brief clip he discusses how he’s been using YouTube to watch old games as part of his grieving process:
There were lighter portions to the interview like this clip below where Shaq shares what it is he misses the most about Charles ‘Chuck’ Barkley on their NBA on TNT coverage. Conan also throws Charles under the bus and tells Shaq how Chuck called him out for how Shaq might not be so in love with all these brands he puts his face and name to. Here’s that clip:
Shaq also talked about how crucial fans are to the NBA experience. People have proposed the idea of NBA games held behind closed doors so fans could watch on TV at home. Here’s Shaq giving his take on that and discussing how vital fans are to the NBA experience.
It certainly seems like we’re headed down a path where professional sports will resume without fans in the stands. Every person involved in the process is ready to get back to making money.