‘The times they are a-changin’ in NBA broadcast. For the first time since 1988, TNT will not broadcast the games in the US. However, fans, and ‘Unc’ Shannon Sharpe in equal measure, are glad that some things will stay the same on TV. Inside the NBA is moving to ESPN after the 2024-25 season. And the good news is that host Ernie Johnson Jr. and the much-loved panel of NBA legends will continue to entertain us on our television screens, just on a different channel.
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On the Nightcap show, Sharpe and Chad Ochocinco Johnson discussed the new deal brokered by Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of TNT Sports. This will allow the crew to run the show in the exact same way.
“‘Inside the NBA’ will move to ESPN in 2025,” Sharpe said. “For fans, the biggest news [is] that Charles, Shaq, Kenny and Ernie will still be on live television. So that means, it’s still going to be produced out of Atlanta cause Ernie said he ain’t going nowhere.”
Though Warner Bros. lost the NBA’s media rights to ABC/ESPN, Comcast and Amazon, they will continue producing their hallmark show in-house at Studio J in Atlanta. The only difference is that from next season, Ernie, Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith will appear on a different channel.
Chuck had a clause in his contract that would allow him to leave if TNT couldn’t broadcast basketball games. But even before the bidding war for the NBA’s media rights began, Ernie made it clear that he would never depart from Turner Sports. After all, it’s the network where he has built his Hall of Fame career since 1990.
Ernie’s unwavering loyalty toward TNT ensured the cast remained intact.
O’Neal is the only member yet to negotiate his extension with the network. But it’s unlikely that the four-time NBA champion will break up this winning core.
As Sharpe puts it, the ‘Inside Guys’ have “years of chemistry“. No other cast of media members or former players could replace or replicate their unique mix of entertainment and analysis.
Unc and Ocho recalled some of the show’s iconic moments through the years.
“Remember when Kenny and Shaq were running to the board?…He pushed Shaq into the g*ddamn Christmas tree,” Ochocinco jogged his memory.
Sharpe’s respect for Ernie was evident when he compared the host to another monumental Johnson.
“Ernie is the perfect traffic cop…He getting his little digs in here and there, Ocho, but he doing – passing that thing off to everybody. He’s Magic [Johnson],” the three-time Superbowl champion added.
