Rachel Nichols Concerned About Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal Getting Censored on ESPN

Now that Inside the NBA‘s time on TNT has come to a close, fans and analysts are worried about how the show may change on ESPN. From concerns about advertising to predictions of restructured talent, almost everyone has an idea of why it won’t work. Rachel Nichols, who left ESPN in 2022, believes censorship will be the show’s downfall.

The show has been defined by its off-the-wall hijinks. Since Shaquille O’Neal joined the show, his presence has brought a comedic and absurd spin to every bit he’s a part of. When you add Charles Barkley to the equation, you get to what made Inside the NBA so great in the first place: its uniqueness.

There was nothing on air like Inside the NBA. TNT’s willingness to allow anything and everything the crew had on their minds meant that the show could explore different angles. In that process, Inside the NBA became just as much of a sketch comedy as it did a sports talk program, and that’s what people loved so much.

Nichols is in a wait-and-see status. “I don’t know. I don’t think we know yet [what will happen to the show],” stated Nichols on her podcast with Chris Mannix. “What I’m more worried about as a fan is less about, ‘Is there another show on?'”

She then listed what ESPN’s priorities should be. “As a fan, what I care about is can I see Ernie, Shaq, Chuck, Kenny do the things I want to see them do, frankly, in that studio J with the board there and where the Christmas tree goes? And I want to see Underdog, and I want to see all the things I’m used to seeing on that show. I want the funny memes.”

Worries about the new network’s involvement ultimately come down to just those concerns. Fans want a guarantee that a show they love, one which had been on TNT for nearly 40 years, will remain close in product to what they have watched in the past.

Nichols is not the only one echoing this sentiment, as Bill Simmons, renowned Boston Sports Guy and head of the Ringer, has his own worries. While Nichols took a more positive approach, Simmons, as expected, took a bit of a negative spin.

Bill Simmons predicts ESPN will ruin Inside the NBA

Bill Simmons has not gotten to where he is by being kind and calm. His brand has always been centered on brash ranting about any topic his mind conjures. This is the man who had Doc Rivers giving public statements on him before he was ever a widely known name.

While Simmons and Rivers resolved their beef, it hasn’t changed Bill’s approach. When discussing his view on Inside the NBA‘s move, he said, in no uncertain terms, “I think ESPN’s gonna f**k the show up … Unless they completely change how they do commercials, the show is gonna be different, people are gonna be pissed, and Barkley and those guys are gonna be pissed.”

Barkley and the rest of the four-man panel are not paragons of patience, outside of Ernie Johnson. But it seems like Barkley, at the very least, is willing to make things work, as his exit statement on the last night on TNT reflected: “To ESPN, it’s going to be an honor and a privilege to work for you guys. You guys are the No. 1 sports network in history, and I’m excited for it. You got some tremendous talents and I’m looking forward to coworking with those guys.”

Still, fandom comes from a place of caring, and fans of the show clearly care about what happens here. They worry that the special Inside the NBA that’s tied to their nostalgia will change for the worse and that long-time bond will be lost, and that’s scary.