Overview
- The ESPN premiere featured the familiar Ernie Johnson–Charles Barkley–Kenny Smith–Shaquille O’Neal quartet, with the same music, graphics, and freewheeling tone.
- Barkley said he was nervous on opening night as the crew traded jokes, including Shaquille O’Neal teasing Barkley’s weight loss by calling him a “sex symbol.”
- ESPN and TNT executives had pledged minimal interference, and early coverage reported the show’s irreverence and blunt player critiques remained intact.
- This season’s plan calls for about 20 dates tied to high-profile broadcasts, with pregame shows starting one hour before ESPN games and 30 minutes before ABC games, plus immediate postgame coverage.
- ESPN says it currently has no plans to add Stephen A. Smith to the program, and Barkley has reiterated he intends to retire from the show in about two years.