The 2025-26 NBA season is unlike any other in recent memory. Of course, the talent level has been outstanding, but the true difference comes in the way its being covered. TNT no longer has the rights to broadcast games, with Amazon Prime and NBC emerging as replacements.
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Thankfully, NBA fans didn’t lose Inside the NBA with the cast has adjusted to their new home, ESPN. However, Charles Barkley’s disdain toward his former employer has yet to subside.
Out of the panel consisting of Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith, Ernie Johnson, and Barkley, the Hall-of-Fame forward has been the most vocal about TNT’s handling of the NBA rights. Barkley, who once had a profound love for the company, has completely changed in his tone of voice.
It isn’t like Inside the NBA is a show with a small audience. Critics and fans revere it as one of the greatest sports shows there is, boasting a multitude of awards. However, the cast were surprisingly kept in the dark regarding the details of TNT’s negotiations.
“I thought at TNT, our bosses did a s***** job,” Barkley said on Pardon My Take. “I’ll give an example. We were playing golf during the playoffs, and we’re reading the internet, finding out if we were getting fired or not.”
The higher-ups at TNT treated everyone as if they were children. Barkley just wanted to know the truth, not for himself, but for the other crew members. “Just shoot us straight. These are real people,” Barkley proclaimed.
Barkley and the rest of the cast members are financially stable. If the show were to end, they would be able to live comfortably or find a new position elsewhere. However, many other workers’ entire livelihoods are dependent on Inside the NBA. Those are the people Barkley was using his voice to speak for.
“TNT never came to us like grown folks and said, ‘Hey guys, we’re probably going to lose the NBA.’ Which we could’ve understood,” Barkley added.
Everyone knew it was expensive for TNT to have broadcast rights for the NBA. They were paying between $1.2 billion and $2.5 billion a year for 11 years. Money speaks a language that nearly everyone can understand. However, that didn’t mean TNT could eliminate all sources of communication with its staff.
At least, ESPN has stayed very true to Inside the NBA. They haven’t changed the studio, the theme, and even the crew remains the same. They might have a new home now, but everything about the show is one-to-one.
