Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal lead tributes to Greg Gumbel on ‘Inside the NBA’ after TV legend’s death

Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and their ‘Inside the NBA’ colleagues have paid emotional tribute to Greg Gumbel following the iconic sports broadcaster’s death last month.

Gumbel’s wife Marcy and daughter Michelle announced in a joint statement that he died of cancer on December 27 at the age of 78.

The broadcasting legend spent most of his career at CBS, working primarily on the NFL and college basketball.

During Thursday night’s show, NBA legend Barkley described Gumbel as a “legend” and said he would “miss his jokes.”

He added: “You know Ernie (Johnson), when you meet legends, and Greg has been a legend for 50 years, and they’re just as nice as you hoped and thought they would be… I’m going to miss his jokes .

“The second thing is I’ve probably seen The Eagles forty times. And he says, “I’ve seen The Rolling Stones 75 times.” And I said Greg, one of my goals in life. I want to see the Rolling Stones. He said, “Just let me know when you want to go.”

The legendary American sports broadcaster died last month of cancer at the age of 78

“The first person I contacted was Clark Kellogg,” Barkley continued. “Well, obviously I contacted Bryant (Gumbel’s brother) first.

“But man, Clark is such a great person. It felt like when I got there. Do you know how we feel about you, Ernie? I think Clark felt the same way about Greg. I had some texts from people at CBS. For example, it hurt a lot.’

Host Johnson, who was on the show for the first time since the death of his sister Christine, 72, last month, added: “When we heard we were doing March Madness, the first thing I did was reach out my hand and go to sit. talk to Greg about what exactly this is.

“Because it looks like chaos and it looks like chaos and you make it look like nothing’s happening. That’s the way he did it. He never did that by drawing attention to himself. He was just doing his job. And he was a professional.’

“It hits a little different for me, Ernie,” Shaq added. ‘I was a high-level juvenile delinquent. Of course I’ve seen guys like you, Dick Vitale, Bryant and Greg. When you’re interviewed by fine gentlemen like yourself, you know you’ve made it.

“So the fact that I was interviewed by him a few times, was able to call him a friend and knew him, my condolences to his family. He reminds me of you, just a fine young gentleman.”

Kenny Smith added: “The most memorable day for me was the first.

‘Cause just like I imagine there’s someone sitting here when you (Johnson) open the show. When he opened it, I even get them now, I got chills when I heard his voice.

Gumbel interviews Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones after their 1996 Super Bowl victory

‘I thought, “Oh, this is real. This isn’t fake. I’m really in this.” It gives you an elevated feeling that this is important. He cared. You feel different when you hear that voice.’

Gumbel became the first black play-by-play announcer for a Super Bowl in 2001, when he was in the booth for the Baltimore Ravens’ victory over the New York Giants.

In March, Gumbel missed his first NCAA tournament since 1997 due to what he said at the time were family health issues.

Gumbel was the studio host for CBS since returning to the network from NBC in 1998.

He signed an extension with CBS last year that allowed him to continue hosting college basketball while stepping back from NFL announcing duties.

“He passed away peacefully, surrounded by much love, after a courageous battle with cancer,” his wife Marcy and daughter Michelle said in a joint statement released by CBS Sports.

“Greg approached his illness as you would expect, with stoicism, grace and positivity.

“He leaves behind a legacy of love, inspiration and dedication over more than 50 extraordinary years in the sports broadcasting industry; and his iconic voice will never be forgotten.”

Gumbel is paired with Clark Kellogg and Seth Davis, who broadcast together on CBS for years

Gumbel had two stints at CBS, leaving the network for NBC when it lost football in 1994 and returning when it regained its contract in 1998.

He hosted CBS’s coverage of the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympics and called Major League Baseball games during the national pastime’s four-year broadcast.

But it was football and basketball where he was best known and made his biggest impact. Gumbel hosted CBS’s NFL studio show, “The NFL Today” from 1990 to 1993 and again in 2004.

He also called NFL games as the network’s primary play-by-play announcer from 1998 to 2003, including Super Bowl XXXV and XXXVIII. He returned to the NFL fold in 2005 and left that role after the 2022 season.