inside the nba
TNT
With the conclusion of the Eastern Conference Finals over the weekend, TNT’s iconic Inside the NBA officially wrapped up its 36-year run, having first premiered in 1989. While Inside the NBA will continue to air next year, it will be moving to ESPN, and thus, changes are expected.
With the current iteration of Inside the NBA coming to an end, fans spent the weekend celebrating the iconic NBA pre-and-post-game show by sharing their favorite moments from the long-running series, which has featured the crew of Shaquille O’Neal, Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley since 2011.
pic.twitter.com/XqpIi6CVTO https://t.co/KLO5GXsAXE
— kp (@YaHateTwoSeeIt) June 1, 2025
“Probably not a good time right now”pic.twitter.com/9xsrplF5x0 https://t.co/3FWBSDXNJG
— F (@ferfebrianf) June 1, 2025
Having watched these clips all weekend — and there are hundreds if not thousands of them all over social media — a clear patten emerged: the best Inside The NBA moments usually contain three ingredients.
First, Charles Barkley says something entirely out of pocket. Then, Shaq — the show’s true agent of chaos — chimes in and eggs Chuck on, often getting him to either repeat or elaborate on what he just said. The final ingredient is then host Ernie Johnson either trying to get the show back on the rails or giving up entirely.
DO NOT GO TO COMMERCIAL BREAK https://t.co/t2mFUvxBWq pic.twitter.com/RfWAR9AIBv
— K.C. (@Not___KC) June 1, 2025
https://t.co/Z6AlktkDHH pic.twitter.com/hOjvj3RN7e
— KSB-One™️ (@VoteForKB) June 1, 2025
The concerns that NBA fans have about Inside the NBA’s move to ESPN are as follows.
First, ESPN’s basketball coverage is notorious (not in a good way) for its extensive commercials, particularly during the halftime show. Inside the NBA is a show that needs room to breathe, and ESPN, by its very nature, does not view its pre-and-postgame shows that way, as that’s a format they’ve reserved for their morning shows like Get Up! and The Pat McAfee Show. This also extends into issues such as Inside the NBA running late — on TNT, it’s easy to bump a late-night re-run of Suits or Rizzoli & Isles. On ESPN, they’ve got other games to broadcast and SportsCenters to air.
Then there’s the talent aspect, particularly a concern that ESPN will attempt to shoo-horn its own in-house personalities, such as Stephen A. Smith, onto the show. Well ESPN has claimed that have “no plans” to do anything of the sort, fans are suspect all the same.