After 35 seasons covering the ins and the outs of the game, the iconic ‘Inside the NBA’ show will be leaving TNT at the end of the Eastern Conference Finals.
The remaining games of a fascinating series between the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks will be the last outing for Chuck, Shaq and the boys on ESPN. But fear not, they will just be moving to a new spot for next season.
Last November Warner Bros. Discovery completed a deal that sees ESPN acquire the rights to ‘Inside the NBA’. In return, TNT Sport gets exclusive rights to a slate of NCAA games, mainly Big 12 football and select men’s college basketball games. The unique ‘rights trade’ raised some eyebrows but both parties seem happy with their respective parts.
This means that ‘Inside the NBA’ will largely carry on as normal for the 2025/26 season, although fans will have to remember to turn to ESPN to catch it. The wildly successful show will largely continue in its current format with the same host.
A statement from ESPN News Services last November confirmed: “Except when the show goes on the road, TNT Sports will continue to independently produce “Inside the NBA” from its Atlanta-based studios over the term of the agreement. Johnson, Barkley, Smith and O’Neal will remain with the show.”
But all this raises the question: why couldn’t ESPN just make their own version of the show. Unlike the rights to broadcast live games, there is no expensive bidding process needed to produce something similar. All they would need is the comparatively cheap highlights show permissions and a studio of experts to talk it all over.
However ESPN have struggled to produce studio shows in the past and company chairman Jimmy Pitaro reportedly demanded that the deal be done to help the brand capture the new sporting zeitgeist.
“Inside the NBA is universally recognized as one of the best and most culturally impactful shows in sports,” Pitaro said in a statement. “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.”
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