By Miguel Mike Medina
Photo: Inside The NBA
“Inside the NBA” is here to stay. ESPN and TNT Sports officially announce the ‘Inside the NBA’ deal, starting with the 2025-2026 season.
It’s been a long battle throughout the off-season. It got so tense that Charles Barkley considered retiring after the 2024-25 season.
Fans will be happy to know that the core four of Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, and Shaq won’t go away.
Inside the NBA is undoubtedly the best sports show on the planet. The show will be part of the following events:
– Opening Week
– Christmas Day
– ABC games (after January 1)
– Playoffs, including the NBA Finals
ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro praised the four men and their contributions to the show. Pitaro is looking forward to bringing the show to the network.
“Inside the NBA is universally recognized as one of the best and most culturally impactful shows in sports,” Pitaro expressed. “We have long-admired the immensely talented team and are thrilled to add their chemistry and knowledge to our robust set of NBA studio offerings to super-serve NBA fans like never before. The addition of Inside the NBA further solidifies ESPN as the preeminent destination for sports fans.”
https://twitter.com/ESPNPR/status/1858511130534003166
This is great news for those who have followed the show for years. However, moving the show to ESPN has people wondering if the same energy and unpredictable nature will stay the same.
Will Pitaro walk the walk like he talks the talk about Inside the NBA?
Barkley has said that he won’t work for ESPN and work him like a dog. Whether he was joking or not, he put it out there.
Here’s the clip of Barkley mentioning ESPN a few years ago on the show:
TNT gave these men a lot of freedom to be themselves on air. We can’t say the same about ESPN, especially since it’s owned by Disney.
There’s a concern about whether ESPN will try to water down the show. We hope the network can let them be their authentic selves and not interfere with something that’s been working for so many years.
Miguel Mike Medina is the publisher of The MMM Journal. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com
X: @mmm_sportnfilms, Instagram: @miguel_passionforsports, TikTok: @miguelmikemedina
