Shaquille O’Neal pushed back against Madison Square Garden’s storied reputation during TNT’s “NBA Tip-Off” pre-game show for the Eastern Conference Finals.
As the broadcast opened with an aerial shot of Madison Square Garden, host Ernie Johnson referred to the venue as “The World’s Most Famous Arena.” O’Neal promptly replied, “Second-most famous,” leading Johnson to ask which building tops his list.
“There are three up for debate: Boston’s arena and, of course, my L.A. arena,” O’Neal said. He later clarified that he was referencing the original Boston Garden and The Forum in Inglewood. When analyst Kenny Smith pointed out that The Forum no longer hosts NBA games, O’Neal added that its legacy had “transferred to the Staples Center,” now known as Crypto.com Arena.
Charles Barkley sided with O’Neal, telling viewers, “I’m actually with Shaq. You just can’t call y’all the No. 1 arena in the world.” Smith, a New York native, defended Madison Square Garden’s status.
The Forum served as the Lakers’ home court until 1999, after which the franchise moved to the downtown arena later renamed Crypto.com Arena. Since the building opened, the Lakers have won six NBA championships. Meanwhile, Madison Square Garden is preparing to host its first NBA Finals games since 1999 after the New York Knicks punched their ticket to the series.
In a separate Lakers development, multiple reports indicate LeBron James is unwilling to take a substantial pay cut if he leaves Los Angeles in free agency this offseason.
Source: Lakers Nation
