| Inside the NBA | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Presented by | Ernie Johnson Jr. |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Production | |
| Production locations | TNT Sports Studio J,Atlanta,Georgia |
| Running time | 30–60 minutes |
| Production company | TNT Sports |
| Original release | |
| Network | |
| Release | November 4, 1989 (1989-11-04) – May 31, 2025 (2025-05-31) |
| Network | |
| Release | October 22, 2025 (2025-10-22) – present |
| Related | |
| NBA Countdown NBA on ESPN NBA on TNT NBA on TBS | |
Inside the NBA is a halftime and postgame studio show for selectedNBA on ESPN broadcasts, having previously aired forNBA on TNT broadcasts from 1989 to 2025. The show has been hosted since 1990 byErnie Johnson, joined on set by three analysts:Kenny Smith (since 1998),Charles Barkley (since 2000), andShaquille O'Neal (since 2011). Notable former analysts have includedMagic Johnson (2003–2007),Reggie Miller (2008–2011), andChris Webber (2008–2011).
Since the early 2000s, the show has consistently been rated as among the best sports analysis shows on American television, and over its history has won nineteenSports Emmy Awards. Starting in the 2025–26 season, the show airs on selectedESPN andABC broadcasts, as part of a sub-licensing agreement between parent companiesthe Walt Disney Company andWarner Bros. Discovery, with the program being produced byWarner Bros. Television Studios under theTNT Sports brand.
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Inside the NBA debuted after TNT acquired the rights to broadcast NBA games during the1989–90 season. In its first season, there were no permanent hosts or analysts.Craig Sager,Hannah Storm,Vince Cellini,Tim Brando andFred Hickman shared hosting duties at various points of the season. In the following season,Ernie Johnson Jr., formerly a sideline reporter, took over as the show's full-time host, a role he retains to this day.
Initially,Inside the NBA focused on recaps of the day's games. Occasionally, Johnson invited a former or current NBA player or coach to sit in as a guest analyst.Kenny Smith joined Johnson full-time in 1998.
Newly-retired former NBA All-StarCharles Barkley joined TNT in 2000 and became notorious for his bold, and at times controversial, statements on the air.
In late2002, Barkley told Kenny Smith that he would "kiss [his] ass" ifHouston Rockets then-rookieYao Ming scored 19 points in a game,[1] which was followed by Yao doing exactly that later that week. As a result, onListen Up! With Charles Barkley and Ernie Johnson that Thursday, Barkley kissed the rear end of adonkey that Smith brought into the studio. In2002, a controversialSports Illustrated cover, in which Barkley was portrayed in chains (as aslave),[2] led to a debate between Smith and Barkley about the merits of the cover.[3]
During the 2000s, TNT added a third analyst alongside Smith and Barkley. Hall of FamerMagic Johnson served as the third analyst between 2003 and 2007, andReggie Miller andChris Webber split the role between 2008 and 2011.
Before the2011–12 season, TNT hiredShaquille O'Neal as a studio analyst. O'Neal's addition ledInside the NBA to add theShaqtin' a Fool segment, featuring bloopers from around the league.
During the2020,2021, and2024 playoffs,Golden State Warriors forwardDraymond Green made occasional appearances onInside the NBA. In 2022, Green was added to TNT's analyst roster, and would contribute occasionally on the show while still an active player.
The popularity of the program has led the NBA to air reruns of the show (as well as reruns of other TNT NBA studio programs,NBA Tip-Off, theAmerican Express Halftime Report andGame Break) on the TNT Overtime on NBA.com. Analysts from the show, with the notable exception of Barkley, have been featured in the popularNBA 2K video game series beginning withNBA 2K15. Beginning in 2011, the team has also covered theNCAA Division I men's basketball tournament as CBS began partnering with Turner forNCAA March Madness.
During the 2021–22 season,Inside the NBA aired after TNT Tuesday games during theNFL regular season and on Thursday nights once football season ends. TNT moved its marquee games to Tuesday in the fall and early winter in order to avoid competition withThursday Night Football. The postgame shows after TNT Tuesday games, beginning in January, were rebranded as theNBA on TNT Postgame Show, with Adam Lefkoe as host and analysts O'Neal,Candace Parker andDwyane Wade.
Wade decided not to return to NBA on TNT coverage for the 2022–23 season, choosing to focus on other business interests.[4]Jamal Crawford replaced Wade as an analyst onNBA on TNT Tuesdays.[5]
Prior to the 2022–23 season,Warner Bros. Discovery Sports announced contract renewals for all four of the mainInside the NBA panelists, including a 10-year extension for Barkley that he called "a life-altering deal".[6]
On July 24, 2024, the NBA announced new 11-year broadcasting agreements withABC/ESPN,NBC, andAmazon Prime Video.[7][8][9][10] TNT parent companyWarner Bros. Discovery (WBD) attempted to use its backend rights to match the offer made by Amazon, but it was rejected on the basis that WBD did not match the terms offered by Amazon.[11][12] On July 26, WBD filed its lawsuit against the league in New York state court, seeking to delay the NBA's new 2025 media deals from taking effect and to rule that TNT's offer matched Amazon's deal.[13] Both parties reached a settlement on November 18, allowing WBD to continue operating NBA's digital properties. WBD also entered into a sublicensing agreement withThe Walt Disney Company to broadcastInside the NBA onESPN andABC beginning in the 2025–26 season, with the program continuing to be produced byWarner Bros. Television Studios,doing business asTNT Sports, with its existing personalities from the show’s longtime home at the Turner Studios inAtlanta.[14][15][16][17][18]
The final edition ofInside the NBA on TNT was broadcast on May 31, 2025, following Game 6 of theEastern Conference finals.[19] During the final sign-off, Johnson said:
If I had written the script, the NBA and TNT would be together forever. It’s not going to happen, but while I was disappointed, I was sad, I was not bitter. We know how business works. Gratitude is the operative word for me. [ ... ] So thank you, we have been honored to do this. [ ... ] But I'm proud to say for the last time, thanks for watching us. It's the NBA on TNT.[20][21]
O'Neal and Smith droppedf-bombs during their TNT sign-off, with O'Neal saying:
We're a family. I’m glad we're sticking together. And like I said, even though the name changes, the engine is still the same. And to thatnew network we're coming to, we not coming to eff around. Since this is the last show, I’m going to say it—we not coming to fuck around.[22]
ESPN announced prior to the 2025–26 season thatInside the NBA will be shown 20 times throughout the course of the regular season. The first edition will air during anNBA Wednesday doubleheader on October 22, followed by anNBA Thursday doubleheader the following night. Two Wednesday editions on October 29 and November 12 would follow before returning on ABC and ESPN'sChristmas Day slate. After that,Inside the NBA would return January 24 on ABC and would continue to air on select Saturday and Sunday marquee games, as well as a few ESPN weekday doubleheaders. The postgame edition ofInside the NBA duringNBA Saturday Primetime would air on ABC before moving to the ESPN app in favor oflocal news programming across ABC affiliates, while onNBA Sunday Showcase, it will only serve as its pregame show. The show is expected to run during select playoff games, as well as the Eastern Conference Finals and NBA Finals. ESPN will then continue to airNBA Countdown for those broadcasts whenInside the NBA is not on.[23]
ESPN assured that the show would remain relatively unchanged with the move from TNT, with no changes to personnel or format, and also maintaining the exact same on-air presentation and studio with few changes (aside from a rebranding to replace the TNT logo with the ESPN logo where applicable).[24][25][26] Its panel has also made self-deprecating jokes regarding the move on-air, with Barkley showing a mock schedule of planned appearances on other ESPN shows that included theAmerican Cornhole League andWorld Axe Throwing League, and a later episode featuring a segment mocking ESPN's perceived overemphasis on theDallas Cowboys in its NFL programming.[27][28]
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"Shaqtin' a Fool" is a blooper segment started by O'Neal when he joined the show in 2012 that has become popular since. The segment usesCGI to highlight on-court blunders and mistakes from games around the league. Frequent nominees includeJaVale McGee,Kendrick Perkins,Nick Young,Otto Porter,Brandon Knight andJordan Poole, although even All-Stars likeLeBron James,Blake Griffin,James Harden,Andre Drummond andRussell Westbrook have been featured.
"Area 21" was a segment hosted byKevin Garnett, who joined the show following his retirement before the 2016–17 season. Noted for being more informal and by the presence of a "cuss button" for when Garnett or a guest wants to swear, which has sometimes been left unused.
"EJ's Neat-O Stat of the Night" is the traditional ending segment, sometimes noted for its lack of continued sponsorship ("Presented by NO ONE – Unsullied by sponsorship since 1989"), althoughDave & Buster's,Taco Bell,Jim Beam,CarMax,JBL,HP, andEA Sports have sponsored it in the past. It can sometimes feature interesting or humorous stats, but the segment is sometimes used for a comedy sketch.Malika Andrews borrowed the name while appearing onTip-Off part of theInside collaboration withNBA Countdown during the2023 NBA In-Season Tournament semifinals and received Johnson's blessing to use the name.[29]
"Who He Play For?" is a start-of-season customary game where Barkley is challenged to name the new teams of a number of NBAjourneymen who, perhaps (un)notably, switched teams in the offseason.Stephen A. Smith also played it while appearing on the show as part of theInside collaboration withNBA Countdown during the2023 NBA In-Season Tournament semifinals.[30]
"Audio Toons" are old conversations and past events, animated byCartoon Network.
"Players Only" was the name given to the Monday edition between 2017 and 2019, reserved for players-turned-analysts such as Webber, O'Neal, Garnett,Isiah Thomas,Chris Bosh andBaron Davis.WNBA players such asLisa Leslie andCandace Parker would sit in as analysts for these broadcasts.
"Gone Fishin" is a segment aired whenever a team is knocked out of the playoffs (or a team failed to make the playoffs), and is usually accompanied by doctored photos of players on the team, and notable figures from the team's home city, on fishing boats with analystKenny Smith. It has its roots in the 1990s; when the Suns had a chance to eliminate a team, their gorilla mascot would hold a fishing pole to indicate the opponents would be "gone fishin'".[citation needed] The catchphrase has its own page on NBA.com[31] and has also become a metaphor for being eliminated from the playoffs.MLB on TBS uses a similar phrase for when a team gets knocked out of the postseason, called "Gone Huntin", as most North Americanhunting seasons occur in mid-to-late fall.[32] TheNHL on TNT uses a similar phrase for when a team gets knocked out of the postseason, called "Gone Golfin", as most golfing in North America occurs in early-to-late summer.
Some segments ofInside have become famous and are sometimes referenced incallbacks on other episodes, or in other media.
While filling in for an injuredSteve Kerr on aLos Angeles Lakers-Sacramento Kings broadcast,[33] Charles Barkley made disparaging comments about the age of refereeDick Bavetta.[34] The conversation between Barkley and play-by-play manMarv Albert eventually led him to comment that he could outrun Bavetta, and any other man of his age (Bavetta was 67 at the time).
This led Johnson and Smith to note that Bavetta, a physically fit referee whose job required him to run up and down the court on a nightly basis, would likely beat Barkley (who had become woefully out of shape compared to his playing career) in a race. Bavetta challenged Barkley to a footrace, which was then scheduled for the upcoming2007 All-Star Weekend.
The race was heavily hyped on the Internet, receiving some mainstream attention as well. Several NBA players weighed in with predictions, and the overwhelming majority picked Bavetta to win the race.[35][36]
Despite being the underdog, Barkley won the race by a comfortable margin. Both men ended up falling after the race; Bavetta dove for the finish line, and Barkley stumbled backwards and fell upon victory. With the race decided, the two exchanged a friendly hug and kiss. The race raised $50,000 for charity, andAll-Star Saturday Night on TNT drew its highest number of television households in its twenty-two-year history.[37]
During the2007 NBA Playoffs, following theGolden State Warriors' upset of theDallas Mavericks, Barkley made some degrading comments aboutOakland, California, saying things such as "it makes me mad, mad that they're in Golden State and not LA" and "it's not a city". In response, the scoreboard at theOracle Arena began showing a graphic of the Warriors' mascotthrowing a pie at Barkley.
Oakland native and NBA legendGary Payton, in his trademark competitive, trash-talking style, went around Oakland with avideo camera to rebuke some of Barkley's comments and get some of the locals' opinions on Barkley and his comments, with Payton providing some of his own comments about "Sir Charles" and providing quips such as "It ain't no thrift store, it's Oakland". The humorous segment, which also included embarrassing vintage coverage of Barkley being dunked on in a game against Golden State, aired duringInside the NBA's playoff coverage of the series between the Warriors and theUtah Jazz. The clip culminated with a shot of Payton standing in front of theSan Francisco Bay saying "How do you feel about my city now, Chuck? ... Now, come see me, in person, here. I've got a surprise for you, too, a lot ofKrispy Kreme donuts."[38] The humorous controversy was subsequently put to rest.
A frequent joke that Barkley has used throughout his run on the show involves a myriad of comments about the city ofSan Antonio.
The most notable comment Barkley's made is about the women in San Antonio and how they are overweight. His typical comment is about the "big-ass/big-ol' women down there," how he looks skinny compared to them, and how the women are probably eating too manychurros. Smith will sometimes set up the joke by asking Barkley what he thinks about the women in San Antonio. In a notable response to his comments during the 2014 Western Conference Finals, several women, includingTim Duncan's partner Vanessa Macias, wore shirts mocking Barkley. Barkley responded by saying that they must have flown them in fromDallas orHouston. In 2022, Barkley gave a fake apology on the show to the city of San Antonio after finally having churros and seeing what the excitement was about.
Barkley has also joked about theSan Antonio River Walk, a key pedestrian walkway and park that runs through the downtown area. Barkley mocks it as a "dirty little creek," saying it can't be a river since there are no fish in it.
Barkley also comments on the heat in San Antonio. During coverage of the 2014 NBA Finals on Gametime on NBA TV, when asked why he wasn't there for Game 1 of the series, he replied that it was simply too hot. He then brought out a bucket that had a piece of paper taped to it saying "San Antonio Air Conditioning Fund".
In response to the shooting ofJacob Blake inKenosha,Wisconsin, the Milwaukee Bucks boycotted Game 5 of their series against the Orlando Magic on August 26.[39] Later that day, the NBA announced that in light of the Bucks' decision, all games for the day were postponed. In support for the players boycott,Kenny Smith walked out of the set while the show was aired live. “I think the biggest thing now — as a Black man and a former player — I think it’s best for me to not be here tonight,” Smith said.[40]
Ahead of the knockout stage of the2023 (inaugural) NBA In-Season Tournament, it was announced that TNT andESPN would collaborate on coverage involving both their commentary and their pregame and postgame coverage. As part of this, theInside cast collaborated with their professional counterparts fromNBA Countdown –Malika Andrews,Stephen A. Smith,Michael Wilbon,Bob Myers andAdrian Wojnarowski – involving Johnson, Kenny Smith, Barkley and O'Neal appearing onCountdown while Andrews, Stephen A. Smith, Wilbon and Myers also appeared onTip-Off and Stephen A. Smith and Wilbon appeared onInside.[41][42] This would end up becoming the prequel to the handling of Inside the NBA when TNT’s contract ends after the 2024-25 season.
Countdown cast members featured in a number of traditionalInside recurring segments as a result:
Inside, since Barkley joined the show during the 2000–01 season, has become a particularly popular show due to its combination of league highlights with unscripted banter among the panelists.Bill Simmons ofESPN.com wrote in May 2002, when Johnson, Smith, and Barkley made up the core panel, thatInside was "the greatest TV studio show I've seen." Simmons observed, "A postgame show that occasionallyimproves on the ratings from the actual game? How rare is that?"[44] In 2014, theNew York Times describedInside as "one of the most freewheeling, unpredictable and funny talk shows on television." The "On Comedy" columnist described O'Neal as the "weak link" but generally praised the interplay between the panelists in ways that often veer far from discussions of basketball games.[45]
Commentators have praisedInside the NBA for its panelists' willingness to have serious conversations when circumstances demand them. The panel's comments about the 2016 presidential election, particularly Johnson's, were praised in national media.[46][47] Kenny Smith's solidarity with social justice protests in 2020 was described as "impactful" by a columnist forSportscasting.[48] "The outpouring of well wishes for Johnson and his family has shown that there may not be a more beloved person in sports media," wrote Jimmy Traina inSports Illustrated in an article about the panel's public support for Johnson onInside after his son Michael died.[49] Johnson used his Twitter account and his appearance onInside the following week to gratefully acknowledge the support he received from his coworkers and from the public.[50]
As of 2024, the show has won nineteenSports Emmy Awards. Six times for the best daily show (2002, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2014), six times for the best weekly show (2012, 2014, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022), five times for the best weekly show – limited run : playoffs (2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024), one for the best decoration and art visuals (2016) and one for the best social TV experience (2019). Johnson has also won eight awards as a studio host (2001, 2006, 2014, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2024, 2025) and Barkley has won six as a studio analyst (2011, 2012, 2016, 2020, 2024, 2025).
Inside was inducted into theBroadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame in October 2016, becoming the 12th program to receive the honor and the third sports show afterSportsCenter andMonday Night Football.[51] They were also honoree by theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020, becoming the first NBA telecast to win theCurt Gowdy Media Award.
Outside the NBA is a show onFacebook Watch that debuted on October 20, 2017. The same panel as onInside talks about subjects outside of the NBA.[52]
TNT airedThe Inside Story, a four-part miniseries documentingInside the NBA, during the NBA All-Star Break in March 2021. Each episode focused on one core panelist.[53] The miniseries was nominated for aSports Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary Series at the 43rd Sports Emmy Awards.[54]
The Steam Room is a video podcast hosted onYouTube starring Johnson and Barkley, named after a running joke fromInside. The podcast primarily consists of interviews and interactions with celebrities that are friends of Barkley and Johnson, sports media personalities, former NBA legends, comedians, and staff members.[55]
The current theme song, composed by former guitarist of the progressive rock bandYes,Trevor Rabin, has been used since the 2002–2003 season.[56]
