OG Anunoby’s Pre-Game Interview Sparks Mixed Reactions from Inside the NBA Crew

New York, NY — OG Anunoby joined the Inside the NBA crew before Game 4 of the Eastern Conference playoff series between the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks on Tuesday night. He set aside his regular pregame routine to discuss the Knicks’ comeback victory in Game 3 and potentially share insights for the upcoming game.

The show featured hosts Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, and Ernie Johnson, who all took part in the interview. However, the crew members displayed noticeable discomfort with the situation. Smith notably declined to ask Anunoby a question, instead turning to his fellow former NBA players about the appropriateness of such interviews before a game. They all responded with a firm ‘no.’

Smith remarked, “Well, OG, the last guy who came up here, Mitchell Robinson, went bananas when he came up here and spoke to us. Hopefully, it’s happening the same way for you, but you know, get ready for the game. It’s tough to ask questions at this time, so I’m going to pass it on to Chuck.”

Charles Barkley and Ernie Johnson proceeded to pose some questions before Anunoby wrapped up the interview. During the segment, Smith inquired if Barkley would have ever participated in a similar pregame interview, to which Barkley emphatically responded, “Hell no.”

Amidst some back-and-forth, Johnson suggested that some players might want to engage in interviews beforehand, prompting Smith to ask Shaquille O’Neal if he would have done one, to which he also replied in the negative. The TNT crew was left to reflect on the adequacy of in-game interviews compared to this new style, recognizing there might be more pointless interactions than they thought.