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TNT’s “Inside the NBA” featuring Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal isn’t disappearing after all.
The popular NBA show is just moving to ESPN as part of an agreed upon deal in which Warner Bros. Discovery will license the rights of “Inside the NBA” to ESPN, a person familiar with the deal confirmed to USA TODAY Sports. The person was granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the agreement.
As part of the deal, Warner Bros. Discovery will televise Big 12 football and basketball games that previously aired on ESPN.
As ESPN and Warner Bros. Discovery finalize that agreement, Warner Bros. Discovery settled its lawsuit against the NBA, allowing Warner Bros. to create NBA content in North America and overseas and keeping NBA TV and digital operations under the Warner Bros. umbrella, The Wall Street Journal reported. The newspaper was also the first to report that “Inside the NBA” will continue beyond this season.
When the NBA reached a new 11-year, $76 billion TV deal with ABC/ESPN, NBC and Amazon in July, TNT was not part of the agreement and parent company Warner Bros. filed a lawsuit against the NBA, saying the NBA breached its contract.
When TNT lost rights to televise NBA games following the 2024-25 season, it appeared “Inside the NBA” would end, too. Johnson said he had no plans to leave the network, and the show doesn’t work without Johnson directing the conversation. Barkley told USA TODAY Sports last month that even if all four went to another network, the show wouldn’t be the same.
However, understanding the popularity of “Inside the NBA,” ESPN found a way to keep the show on air under the unique arrangement.
More details about the deal are expected next week.
Follow NBA reporter Jeff Zillgitt on social media @JeffZillgitt
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