The NBA, TNT Sports and ESPN announced Monday that “Inside the NBA,” the studio show starring Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Shaquille O’Neal and Ernie Johnson, will air on ESPN and ABC starting in the 2025-26 season. The NBA and Warner Bros. Discovery (TNT Sports’ parent company) have settled their legal dispute, and TNT Sports will continue producing the show independently in Atlanta for 11 years under the terms of the new agreement.
You can expect to see Barkley, Smith, O’Neal and Johnson on all “marquee live events” on ESPN and ABC: opening week, Christmas Day, all ABC games after Jan. 1, the final week of the regular season, the playoffs and the NBA Finals, per ESPN.
“The opportunity to continue the iconic and Emmy Award-winning ‘Inside the NBA’ is a huge win for basketball fans everywhere,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement.
As part of this agreement, ESPN has effectively traded TNT Sports the rights to 13 Big 12 football games and 15 Big 12 basketball games per season starting in 2025.
TNT Sports and its digital brands (Bleacher Report, House of Highlights) “will receive a global license to create, produce and distribute new and existing NBA content across its platforms,” per WBD. TNT Sports will develop new shows featuring “Inside the NBA” talent, including “Inside Sports,” which is in development for next season.
The NBA will feature TNT Sports-produced content on its website and app, and the league’s digital partnership with TNT Sports will be “reimagined” and extended for five seasons. In addition, WBD has acquired a package of live games to air in select territories outside the United States.
ESPN will continue to produce “NBA Countdown.” That studio show, hosted by Malika Andrews, now “moves down to No. 2 in the order,” per The Athletic.
