The NBA’s new media rights deal has become official, and three networks are going to broadcast games going forward: ESPN, NBC, and Amazon. This, unfortunately, means that the league’s partnership with Turner that dates back to 1989 is coming to an end — there have been reports that Warner Bros. Discovery’s exclusive broadcasting window came and went, and while they had the ability to match and expressed its intention to do so, the league announced on Wednesday afternoon that their bid was unsuccessful.
Basketball fans want to know what this means for the future of Inside the NBA, the legendary studio show that has turned into an institution in the sport. Famously, Charles Barkley has cracked a few jokes (and been brutally honest) about how the show could be coming to an end, but that was before we got official word of what’s happening.
Now that we know for sure that Turner is losing its broadcast rights, we decided to take a look at what all four members of the Inside the NBA crew have said (and what has been reported) about the future.
Charles Barkley
As of right now, the only person whose future we know for sure is Barkley. He already had the ability to opt out of his deal if Turner lost the NBA, but Barkley said during the NBA Finals that he plans on retiring after the 2024-25 season, regardless of what happens with the network.
“I just want to say thank you to my entire NBA family,” Barkley said. “I love you guys. There’s been a lot of noise around our network the last few months, and I just want to say, I talked to all the other networks, but I ain’t going nowhere other than TNT. But, I have made the decision myself, no matter what happens, next year is going to be my last year on television.”
Now, this news was greeted with some skepticism — Draymond Green, for example, doesn’t think Barkley is going to retire. And while Barkley previously has said he’s had conversations with other networks and decided to say no to all of them, he cracked the door open early last week, dependent on whether Turner gives him all the money he’s owed.
Although he said a huge offer wouldn’t change his mind and that he wouldn’t feel comfortable working for anyone but Turner, it sure seems like Chuck could, indeed, be on the free agent block next summer.
Ernie Johnson
While Barkley is the face of Inside the NBA, Johnson very well might be the face of Turner Sports, as you can see him wearing a ton of different hats on NBA, MLB, and college basketball broadcasts. He’s the single-best studio host in the game, and that might not just be for sports — can you think of, say, a news or entertainment show host who is better than Ernie Johnson? Because I cannot.
A Sports Business Journal report indicated that Johnson isn’t going to go anywhere. And in a recent conversation between Barkley and Dan Patrick, it was made pretty clear that Johnson is going to stick around in some capacity no matter what.
Charles Barkley told us that if TNT loses #NBA TV rights, he’ll become a free agent. He’s unsure about “Inside the NBA” moving to another network because the show wouldn’t be the same without Ernie Johnson. Ernie has said he isn’t leaving Turner.
A decision is expected today. pic.twitter.com/MRMnjBFDf1
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) May 3, 2024
Of course, we have not heard directly from Johnson on this one, so we’ll have to wait and see. But considering his ties to the network, it’s nearly impossible to imagine him doing anything else until he calls it a career.
Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith
Neither guy has said anything about what their futures hold, although that aforementioned Sports Business Journal report indicated that Shaq might not do TV due to how busy he keeps himself with business opportunities. Still, we’ll keep you posted on what either dude says if they get asked, because it would really stink for either to be totally out of a job once next season ends.