Stephen A. Smith Reveals He Has No Problem With Charles Barkley’s ‘Inside The NBA’ Being Acquired By ESPN

The long-running show, Inside the NBA’s future with the league seems bleak. Whether the league finalizes a deal with them to bring back the beloved crew or not is still being speculated. Veteran NBA analyst, Stephen A. Smith chimes in on the future of the Inside the NBA while also revealing his desire for ESPN to acquire the lot.

On an episode of The Stephen A. Smith Show, SAS talked about TNT’s new offer to the NBA and the potential deals that were thrown in by ABC, ESPN, NBC, and Amazon. 

“Anybody who can get their hands on Barkley, Shaq, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson should do it. Even if it’s ESPN… Those brothers are phenomenal… And I root for them every day, all day, all the time. They are a treasure and a tribute to the league itself.”

Being a rival of sorts with ESPN’s First Take, Stephen A. Smith could not help but be all praises for the crew of four. A fan of the Inside the NBA show, SAS was more than okay with the show being picked up by some other network as well, given what they have done for the league and the fans as well.

“So, hopefully, somehow, some way, there will be a platform available to them. Whether it’s ESPN/ABC, whether it’s Amazon/ NBC, something, to keep that team intact. It is an honor and a privilege to have them available to watch.”

Stephen A. Smith pointed out an obvious flaw with Turner Network. He mentioned that the network cannot keep airing their old shows and at one point, they would need something live and fresh to cater to their audience eventually. 

So, losing the rights to the NBA might end up hurting the network majorly if things don’t fall through.

TNT getting ready for a legal battle with the league

TNT recently matched the $1.8 billion offer made to the NBA by NBC & Amazon. But despite matching the offer, the league does not seem too eager to rejuvenate the ties they have with TNT. And as a result, TNT seems to be getting ready to take legal action against the league.

“We have matched the Amazon offer, as we have a contractual right to do, and do not believe the NBA can reject it. In doing so, they are rejecting the many fans who continue to show their unwavering support for our best-in-class coverage, delivered through the full combined reach of WBD’s video-first distribution platforms — including TNT, home to our four-decade partnership with the league, and Max, our leading streaming service.”

 

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“We think they have grossly misinterpreted our contractual rights with respect to the 2025-26 season and beyond, and we will take appropriate action. We look forward, however, to another great season of the NBA on TNT and Max including our iconic Inside the NBA.”

TNT still has a year left on their contract and they plan on going through with it. But once the 2025-26 NBA season kicks off, it seems as if it’ll be a dogfight between the networks and the league with who gets the rights going forward.