Source: Boston Globe / Getty / Inside The NBA
It looks like we didn’t have to sacrifice Inside The NBA to hear the iconic NBA on NBC theme music after all. The Wall Street Journal reports ESPN is saving the iconic basketball show.
Our favorite basketball studio show, led by Ernie Johnson and featuring former NBA hoopers Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith, and Charles Barkley, had been in trouble for months. TNT’s rights are set to expire following the 2024-25 season, and the NBA has secured new television/streaming deals with Amazon, NBC, and ESPN.
But things are looking up for fans who were upset because they believed the show was done. On Saturday, the Wall Street Journal reported that ESPN will be licensed to air Inside The NBA as part of a settlement agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery’s July lawsuit.
According to The Athletic, it remains unclear how ESPN will use the show in conjunction with NBA Countdown. It looks like the core four will return after Shaq signs his extension, with TNT still producing.
It Wasn’t Looking Good For Inside The NBA A Few Months Ago
At one point, it didn’t seem likely, as it was all but sure that Inside The NBA was seemingly coming to an end.
During an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show back in May, Charles Barkley painted a very bleak picture telling Patrick, “Morale sucks. Plain and simple. I just feel so bad for the people I work with, Dan. These people have families, and I just really feel bad for them right now. You know, these people I work with, they screwed this thing up clearly, and we don’t have zero idea of what’s going to happen.”
Well, it looks like Inside The NBA will still be here. Thank the lord. You can see reactions to the news in the gallery below.