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yesterday

Charles Barkley Criticizes TNT’s Communication Failures and Questions ESPN’s Plans for Inside the NBA

He warns that ESPN’s scheduling constraints could undercut the show’s signature postgame chemistry.

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Overview

  • Turner Sports licensed Inside the NBA to ESPN and ABC last November as part of the NBA’s new 11-year, $76 billion media rights deal beginning in the 2025-26 season.
  • Barkley condemned TNT executives for learning of the licensing agreement via congratulatory texts from ESPN hosts rather than a direct company briefing.
  • He revealed that TNT only informed the on-air team about the move roughly 90 minutes after news of the deal broke online.
  • Barkley expressed concern that ESPN might shorten or interrupt the show’s customary 45-minute postgame segment to accommodate SportsCenter.
  • Despite uncertainty over format and airtime, production will remain in Atlanta with Barkley, Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal under their TNT contracts.