LeBron James on 'Thursday Night Football', explained: What to know about 'TNF in The Shop' alternate stream

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LeBron James
(NBAE via Getty Images)

As Amazon makes its way through its first season as the exclusive home of NFL's "Thursday Night Football," it continues to find ways to allow viewers to experience the game in ways they never have before.

In the age of alternate broadcasts, Amazon's latest undertaking tabs one of the biggest stars outside of the world of football. Week 11 of the 2022 NFL season serves as the debut of "TNF in The Shop," an alternative stream that features LeBron James alongside Maverick Carter and Paul Rivera. "TNF in The Shop" adds to a list of alternate streams that also includes “TNF with Dude Perfect,” “TNF with Storm & Kremer,” “TNF en Español,” and “Prime Vision with Next Gen Stats.”

The alternate stream takes you into the world of "The Shop" a talk show created by Rivera and executive produced by James and Carter. After debuting on HBO in 2018, "The Shop" moved to YouTube in 2022, where its host channel, "UNINTERRUPTED," has nearly 700,000 subscribers.

Here's a breakdown of what you can expect from "TNF in The Shop."

MORE: The complete guide to watching 'Thursday Night Football' on Amazon

'The Shop' NFL broadcast, explained

Per an official release from Amazon, these alternative streams "will bring together a unique mix of personalities across sports, music, entertainment, business, and culture."

James, a standout football player in high school, will provide insight from his perspective of the game alongside Carter and Rivera. The trio will welcome a number of guests with the goal of maintaining the authenticity of "The Shop." 

Here's more from Amazon:

In addition to live commentary surrounding the evening’s TNF matchup, “TNF in The Shop” will host authentic discussions while the cameras roll, and guests are encouraged to share personal experiences and their takes on the latest in pop culture and current events via Prime Video’s custom split screen…

The original, revolutionary formula of UNINTERRUPTED The Shop will remain intact, creating unique experiences where celebrated artists, entertainers, athletes, and advocates come together for authentic, raw, untapped conversations and storytelling that normally wouldn’t happen on a typical show. 

While Amazon has hosted a number of alternate options for "Thursday Night Football," "TNF in The Shop" is the first of its kind as it welcomes in an active professional athlete as the headlining talent, which means some of James' associates from the worlds of sports, business and entertainment will join.

The first episode on Nov. 17 provides a blueprint, as Jalen Ramsey and Dez Bryant will join in to provide NFL expertise, while actors Jamie Foxx and Rob Lowe also will make an appearance. 

What is 'The Shop'

"The Shop" is a talk show that made its network debut on HBO in 2018 and is set in a barbershop. Prior to being aired on HBO, one-off episodes of "The Shop" were shot at NBA All-Star Weekend in 2016 and 2017.

According to James, the idea for the show originated based on childhood memories. In 2018, the four-time MVP told The Hollywood Reporter "when I was a kid, being in barbershops meant listening to adults talk about sports, clothing, politics, music, everything happened in the shop.

"It was so real and so candid — no one had a sense of, 'well I can't be myself here.'"

After four seasons aired on HBO, "The Shop" moved to YouTube. Among the high-profile guests to appear on "The Shop" are Barack Obama, Jay-Z, Tom Brady, Odell Beckham Jr., Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes, Diddy and Will Smith.

Author(s)
Gilbert McGregor Photo

Gilbert McGregor is an NBA content producer for The Sporting News.