On The Bill Simmons Podcast, Charles Barkley said TNT has not explained when or how the show will air on ESPN and questioned whether postgame coverage will be cut short or routed to SportsCenter. ESPN’s advance listings currently allot 30-minute postgame windows for the show on Oct. 22–23, though those placeholder slots are subject to change. Under the licensing deal, TNT Sports will continue producing the show in Atlanta with Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Shaquille O’Neal and Barkley remaining TNT employees, while ESPN decides the timing and length of on-air windows. Barkley criticized the NBA’s new 11-year rights package with ESPN/ABC, NBC/Peacock and Amazon, arguing the fragmented schedule will make games harder for regular fans to find. He said he turned down an NBC offer due to a proposed workload that included multiple weekly studio days and required appearances on shows and major events such as the Olympics and Kentucky Derby.
