The Big Lead

'Inside the NBA' finds new home

By J.P. Hoornstra

Feb 25, 2012; Orlando, FL, USA; Shaquille O'Neal (left), Ernie Johnson (lc), Chris Webber (rc), and Charles Barkley (right) on the TNT set at the 2012 NBA All-Star Shooting Stars competition at the Amway Center.
Feb 25, 2012; Orlando, FL, USA; Shaquille O'Neal (left), Ernie Johnson (lc), Chris Webber (rc), and Charles Barkley (right) on the TNT set at the 2012 NBA All-Star Shooting Stars competition at the Amway Center. / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
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While the 2024-25 NBA season will be the last for "Inside the NBA" on TNT, the venerated studio show will carry on after Warner Bros. Discovery, TNT's parent company, no longer has a contract to air NBA games.

"Inside the NBA" will get a new home as part of a reported deal in which Warner Bros. Discovery will license the show's rights to ESPN, according to multiple reports Saturday.

The Wall Street Journal was first to report that the Warner Bros. Discovery agreed to settle its lawsuit with the NBA as part of the deal. Other details of the agreement to emerge include:

• Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith will remain on the show.

• TNT will continue to produce “Inside the NBA” after it changes networks

• TNT Sports can develop other NBA-related content, and other content involving the "Inside the NBA" panel for the next decade.

• According to Andrew Marchand and Jenna West of The Athletic, TNT Sports is anticipated to be guaranteed $350 million for marketing support and advertising inventory in the first five years of the 11-year deal.

USA Today reported that more details about the new deal are expected in the next week. Until then, it's difficult to declare ESPN, TNT, or both parties a "winner" of the deal. In the meantime, the winner appears to be the fans.

ESPN/ABC (owned by Disney), Amazon and NBC/Peacock were awarded exclusive national broadcasting rights beginning next season in a landmark $76 billion deal with the NBA.

As TNT's place in the NBA media picture grew cloudy in recent months, O'Neal expressed his strong desire to keep "Inside the NBA" going.

"In a perfect world, I would love for us to stay together forever, but it's in the hands of the powers right now," O'Neal said. "But this last year is gonna be a phenomenal year, you know Chuck is gonna go crazy, I'm gonna go crazy. It's gonna be fun. Hopefully, this is not the last year."

"Inside the NBA" has won 19 Sports Emmy Awards since it debuted in 1989.

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