ESPN Embraces ‘Inside the NBA’ Cowboys Gag as Troy Aikman Echoes the Joke

Overview

• During a pregame segment, Ernie Johnson teed up a bit about not discussing the Dallas Cowboys, prompting Charles Barkley to quip that networks are contractually obligated to do so and to knock Dallas’s defense.
• ESPN’s SportsCenter account posted the clip and a graphic that superimposed the Inside the NBA cast onto Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders.
• On Get Up, Mike Greenberg and Adam Schefter reacted to the segment, jokingly “welcoming” the show to ESPN now that it had weighed in on the Cowboys.
• Later on NFL Live, Troy Aikman agreed with Barkley’s premise, saying he believes every network has a de facto obligation to talk about the Cowboys.
• The exchange showcased how the TNT-produced show is settling into ESPN under a licensing deal while leaning into the widely noted media fixation on the Cowboys.