Will Shaq, Charles Barkley, Kenny and EJ continue on ‘Inside the NBA’ on ESPN next season?

Good news for fans of Inside the NBA - the sports show will be licensed by TNT to ESPN from the 2025/26 season as part of a settlement that brings an end to Warner Bros. Discovery’s media rights dispute with the NBA.

The long-running studio show, which is filmed in Atlanta, has aired for the the past 35 years and won multiple awards including 21 Sports Emmys. As TNT’s contract with the NBA comes to an end, this week, ESPN confirmed that from next season, it will be “the exclusive home” ‘Inside the NBA’ which features Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal.

In a statement, the broadcaster said: “Inside the NBA is universally recognized as one of the best and most culturally impactful shows in sports. 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.”

Barkley hints at retirement

While fans will be relieved that Shaq, Kenny and EJ will continue on their screens in 2025, there is still some doubts about whether Charles Barkley will remain part of the team. Barkley, who turns 62 in February, had hinted that he might retire from television after the current season but in August, he told the Dan Patrick Show that the broadcaster had convinced him to change his mind as the show would continue to run.

“TNT, I told them they had to come meet with me. They flew to Philly last week and I said, ‘What’s the deal?’ And they said, ‘Hey we’re gonna keep doing the show.’ So, I said, hey, you all know my number one priority - it’s to keep people working at Turner. That’s always been my number one priority. And, they said they’ll keep doing the show and I said I’ll take a pay cut but they said that’s not necessary. They’re gonna continue doing the show, I have no idea what that means. I think they’re gonna try to figure it out - because we won’t have the NBA, so even if we do something, a lot of people at Turner are going to keep their jobs. That does not mean I’m going to stay there forever, I can promise you that... I’m just happy a lot of people at Turner will keep their jobs. I have zero idea what we’re gonna do!”

Barkley signed a 10-year agreement with TNT Sports in 2022 which he has confirmed that he plans to honor. It appears that TNT Sports will continue to independently produce Inside the NBA from their studio in Atlanta so the current production team will remain employed.

Walt Disney secures NBA media rights deal

TNT is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery; while Walt Disney which owns ESPN, NBC/Peacock and Amazon Prime Video, struck an 11-year media rights deal with the league back in July. Approximately 75 regular-season games will be broadcast live each season, a vast increase from the minimum of 15 games under the current agreement.

ESPN will televise the pregame, halftime and postgame show of Inside the NBA for NBA on ABC, Christmas games, playoffs and finals. The show will be exclusively on ESPN and ABC platforms. ESPN will also air Inside the NBA the first week of the season, all games on ABC after 1 January 2026, the final week of the season and “other marquee live events.”

TNT Sports CEO Luis Silberwasser told ESPN: “At TNT Sports, we take great pride in our Inside the NBA show and know its success is both a reflection of the iconic talent on set and the incredible people behind the scenes. We are thrilled to continue to produce Inside the NBA for ESPN and ABC, ensuring fans are able to keep enjoying the magic of this show during the NBA season.”