The band is back together, even though they never really parted.
Yes, the team behind “Inside the NBA” has left TNT. This happened because TNT lost the rights to broadcast NBA games to ESPN, NBC, and Amazon after the previous season.
Despite its already impressive lineup of stars, the popular series continues, now called “NBA Tip-Off.”
Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Shaquille O’Neal, and Ernie Johnson were all back together on ESPN’s pregame show Wednesday night before the games between the Cavaliers and Knicks, and the Spurs and Mavericks.
The four hosts continued to playfully tease each other and ESPN itself, proving that their fun and often funny chemistry – which had defined ‘Inside the NBA’ for over a decade – hadn’t been stifled by network executives. Concerns that ESPN would try to control their lively dynamic were quickly proven unfounded.
Shaq started off by giving Johnson a bit of a talking-to for bringing up the NBA games that aired on NBC and Peacock last night. He wasn’t happy that was mentioned, and let Johnson know it!
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O’Neal jokingly announced, to the amusement of the crowd, “This is TRON – the true opening night!” He then reminded his team, “Don’t forget who we are, guys.”
Johnson gently pushed back, replying, “Don’t be that way!” to more laughs.
O’Neal mentioned Smith nearly missed the show, and Smith joked that it was the most nervous he’d been since the deciding game of the NBA Finals.
Honestly, I was really surprised to hear Charles Barkley admit he was a nervous wreck all day. He’d been the biggest one questioning the move from TNT to ESPN, so it was a bit of a shock. But before he could really explain why he was so anxious, Magic Johnson jumped in and started showing old clips of Charles basically trashing ESPN on other shows – like the Dan Patrick Show. It was a pretty awkward moment, to be honest.
The room filled with more laughter, but Barkley tried to stay on message, admitting, “I won’t lie, everyone who played sports dreamed of being on ESPN. It’s the best sports network, and I’m honored to work with these people.”
Johnson agreed with Barkley, calling it a dream come true, and then asked Smith if he felt the same. Smith responded with a sarcastic, “Yes, but is all this praise really necessary?”
Sports
The popular TNT show ‘Inside the NBA,’ featuring Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson, is expected to conclude after the 2024-25 season as the NBA plans to move its broadcasts to a different network.
The audience kept laughing when they showed a clip of Charles Barkley previously saying he was concerned about how much work ESPN had for him. This was immediately followed by a graphic of his Thursday schedule, which humorously showed him appearing on air every single hour, even during broadcasts of events like the World Axe Throwing League and the American Cornhole League.
After some playful banter, Shaquille O’Neal made a confident prediction about Anthony Davis, now playing for the Mavericks: if Davis can stay healthy and play at least 65 games, O’Neal believes Dallas will reach the Western Conference Finals.
NBA Tip-Off was scheduled to provide coverage before, during halftime, and after Wednesday’s two-game broadcast. ESPN also announced the show will air on 20 days throughout the regular season, surrounding games shown on ESPN and ABC.
Each TV network will have a slightly different broadcast schedule. On ESPN, pregame shows start one hour before the game, and postgame shows begin immediately after it ends. ABC’s pregame shows start 30 minutes before tip-off, and postgame shows only air after Saturday night games. The NBA Sunday Showcase on ABC will also include a pregame show called “NBA Tip-Off.”
ESPN’s Burke Magnus recently announced that ‘Inside the NBA,’ a highly popular and well-known show, will be a key part of the network’s NBA coverage. Viewers can expect the same quality program they enjoy, now featured during major NBA events like the NBA Finals.
A few months ago, there was discussion about creating a new show featuring the same cast as “NBA Tip-Off,” as that show will still be filmed at TNT’s Atlanta studios. However, Charles Barkley has effectively ended that possibility, describing a pilot episode TNT filmed as “just stupid.”
Look, as a huge basketball fan, I was hearing from Charles Barkley that we probably won’t see NBA highlights on TNT anymore. But honestly, the bigger issue is timing. We’re likely going to be competing directly with actual NBA games on platforms like Amazon, ESPN, and NBC. And let’s be real, nobody’s going to switch off a live game to watch us four guys just chat – and he’s right!
Instead, the quartet will continue to talk hoops and trade zingers, but only on ESPN and ABC.
“Inside the NBA” 2025-26 regular season broadcast schedule
2025Oct. 22: ESPN and ESPN2Oct. 23: ESPNOct. 29: ESPNNov. 12: ESPN
Dec. 25: ESPN and ABC
Here’s the broadcast schedule: January 24th on ABC, January 28th on ESPN, January 31st on ABC, February 7th on ABC, February 20th on ESPN, February 21st, 22nd, and 27th on ABC, February 28th on ESPN, March 1st, 7th, and 8th on ABC, March 6th on ESPN, March 14th on ABC, and finally April 12th on ESPN.
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2025-10-23 02:31