The heartbreaking news of TNT’s Inside the NBA going off year after next season came in recently. After providing entertainment and game analysis for decades, the group of Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal will have their last run together in the 2024-25 season. This is due to TNT losing the NBA’s media rights to Amazon.
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When Barkley recently made an appearance on Podcast P with Paul George, he was asked about his experience on the show and whether any other TV network will be able to replicate the impact and longevity of Inside the NBA. In an elaborate answer, Barkley detailed what sets TNT apart from other networks like ESPN.
Barkley outlined that a show like Inside the NBA can only be created if a network is willing to give a group a fair chance. Taking ESPN as an example, he explained that these networks have a very straightforward and an almost mechanical approach with what they create.
The Chuckster pointed out that ESPN throws a random group of people together and when the product fails for a few months, they don’t care about giving it more time to grow. Instead, they take it off air.
Barkley told PG and his crew, “It’s easy to say after 24 years how great our show has been. And I can’t remember, but I’ pretty sure we had some rocky roads in the beginning…I’m positive we had some rocky roads when Shaq first came on because it’s always an adjustment.”
In Barkley’s opinion, the confidence to let one group try their best over an indefinite period of time helped create the incredible chemistry that we see in Inside the NBA. That’s what sets TNT apart from ESPN.
However, Barkley doesn’t think ESPN will ever be patient for that long with the same group of people. That is why when the rumors of his show going off air started floating around, Chuck made it clear that he won’t join another network.
Charles Barkley expressed his disappointment over the new deal
The NBA’s decision to part ways with Warner Bros. Discovery to give the media rights to Amazon was described by Barkley as the league prioritizing money over fans. Dejected by the news, Chuck released an official statement, putting his feelings into words.
He wrote, “Clearly, the NBA has wanted to break up with us from the beginning. I’m not sure TNT ever had a chance. TNT matched the money. The league knows Amazon and these tech companies are the only ones willing to pay for the rights when they double in the future. The NBA didn’t want to piss them off. It’s a sad day when owners and commissioners choose money over the fans. It just sucks.”
Although it’s a lost battle, TNT is not going down without a fight. They have filed a lawsuit in the New York state court in Manhattan, requesting the court to delay the new deal between the NBA and Amazon from going into effect.
