Since 1989, TNT has been one of the NBA's primary broadcast partners. But that fruitful partnership is coming to an end. After the 2024-25 season, the NBA will be leaving the network, with Amazon set to take over. For Stephen A. Smith, this is nothing short of a major fumble for Warner Brothers Discovery, as TNT has been the home of the association for nearly four decades now.
Speaking on his eponymous show, the famous pundit explained how the situation between the NBA and TNT reached this point and how commissioner Adam Silver gave the network plenty of chances to match Amazon's offer.
“According to my sources, guess what, Adam Silver the commissioner talked to the honchos in Warner Brothers Discovery before a deal was agreed upon weeks ago basically letting them know, ‘Hey, you need to match. Here's where we are.' And there was a bunch of hemming and hawing. That's why Barkley's been going off. Because he knew and still knows that it never had to come to this,” Smith said.
At the very least, Stephen A. Smith implored any network that could get the famous Inside the NBA crew of Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, and Shaquille O'Neal together should do it given how entertaining they have been for 35 years.
“Anybody who could get their hands on Barkley, Shaq, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson should do it, even if it's ESPN,” Smith added. “Those brothers are phenomenal. I root for them everyday, all day, all the time. They are a treasure and a tribute to the league itself. There's no way on earth there should be a basketball season in the foreseeable future far beyond next season without them in front of that camera. So hopefully, somehow someway, there will be a platform available to them — whether it's ESPN/ABC, whether it's Amazon, whether it's NBC.”
In the end, Stephen A. Smith also expressed his worry over the future of TNT as a network.
“I don't know where that network goes from here. I mean, how many episodes of Law & Order can you air?” Smith said. “You need something live, you need something fresh. How many old movies can you air?”
Inside the NBA will be back for its swan song on TNT
All good things come to an end, and suffice to say, it's looking like Inside the NBA will be concluding after its 36th year on air. The show may be adopted by another network at some point, but the four-man Hall of Fame crew of Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, and Shaquille O'Neal will be riding off into the sunset at the conclusion of the 2024-25 season.
Barkley had already announced that he'll be retiring from television following next season. He also pledged his loyalty to TNT, which makes it unlikely for him to return for the 2025-26 season should Inside the NBA air on another network even if he could somehow be convinced to overturn his retirement.
TNT may be on the road to engaging the NBA in a legal battle, but no number of lawsuits can change the fact that Inside the NBA is on its last legs. Fans better enjoy the show while it lasts, as there should be plenty of entertaining television coming our way with the realization that the end is near.
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