The reason Inside the NBA on TNT became so popular among fans was its unfiltered approach to commentary and game analysis. But with the major change of the show moving from TNT to ESPN starting in 2025, uncertainty now looms over what is in store. No one, not even the stalwart of the show, Charles Barkley, knows what to expect from these changes.
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ESPN is owned by The Walt Disney Company, which could have a significant influence on how Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, and others continue to present themselves on the show. When Bill Simmons hosted Barkley on his latest podcast, he admitted that they, like millions of fans across the country and the world, have been left in the dark.
But Barkley isn’t really mad at ESPN. Instead, he threw shade at TNT for not informing them or providing any details about the show, which has made things difficult. Barkley had no choice but to call them out on Simmons’ podcast, The Ringer.
“This has been one of the worst… TNT just sucks, to be honest with you, Bill,” Barkley revealed, hinting that the network left a bad taste in their mouths, despite some cast members having worked there for over 30 years.
“They made this deal, they haven’t told us when we’re gonna work. Haven’t told us how it’s going to work,” the Philadelphia 76ers legend added.
It sounds like a bad situation, raising questions about why TNT would treat its longtime crew so poorly. The lack of professionalism amid such an emotional departure is truly surprising.
“They haven’t told us how it’s going to work.”
Charles Barkley voices his concerns for ‘Inside the NBA’ as the show heads to ESPN this season. pic.twitter.com/zFxWfOD48M
— The Ringer (@ringer) September 2, 2025
Later on in the podcast, Barkley revealed that ESPN has remained quiet on the matter, leaving questions about how much time they will actually have to talk after games and whether they will need to significantly alter the show’s format.
“We’ve been talking behind the scenes, like, ‘Do we have to, after the game, are we going to get any time?’ Or are they going to say, ‘Hey, you guys gotta go to Sports Center’?… That’s the best part of our show. After the game, we can have conversations and have fun,” Barkley stated.
Fans love Inside the NBA because the crew has ample time to talk about basketball, which naturally leads to funny moments. But now on ESPN, it’s reasonable to wonder whether they’ll have the same freedom they enjoyed on TNT for all these years.
It was already a puzzling decision for TNT to sell the rights to a show as iconic as Inside the NBA. But with their moves in the following months, it’s clear they cashed their paycheck without giving a second thought to showing respect throughout the process. It’s a shame, because Barkley and the rest of the crew deserve better. Hopefully, they receive better treatment at ESPN when the show finally kicks off.
