Inside the NBA: The Final Stretch
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
This past Wednesday, May 22nd, the news that most sports aficionados didn’t want to hear was dropped: the TNT classic broadcast series, Inside the NBA, would more than likely have its final season kick off later this year and conclude in the summer of 2025. The issue is that the NBA is due to sign deals with ESPN (who is already a heavyweight within the league), NBCUniversal (a basketball titan of yesteryear, given the former success of NBA on NBC), and a new threat: Amazon. Meanwhile, TNT’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery — run by the wild card CEO David Zaslav — may make yet another obstructive pivot that goes against the wishes of viewers while trying to both save and expand a conglomerate empire. Even though nothing as of this article is quite certain yet, all signs are pointing towards finality, and they’re impossible to ignore at this point. Even the Inside the NBA team, full of award winners both on the court and in front of the camera, have addressed these concerns, with basketball hall of famer Charles Barkley stating “It just sucks right now for the people I work with… I’m worried about all the people I work with,” regarding the over two hundred people who could lose their jobs should NBCUniversal beat out Warner Bros. Discovery to securing the rights to the NBA.
You could argue that Barkley and his peers, Shaquille O’Neal (the most dominant player perhaps in the history of the NBA), Kenny Smith (a significant piece to the back-to-back Houston Rockets championships), and Ernie Johnson (the head honcho of Inside the NBA, and the anchor — pun intended — who keeps the show on topic when possible) can just relocate to wherever the money leads them. However, things are a bit tricky. Johnson has a sworn allegience to TNT (he’d still have his baseball series, MLB on TBS, to look forward to), whereas Barkley has discussed a clause in his contract (which was only just renewed before this ongoing NBA season) that should the show relocate from TNT to another network, Barkley can opt out and be a “free agent”. O’Neal and Smith could choose to abandon ship as well. No matter what happens, this core of four is more than likely done because there will most definitely be a schism; should Inside the NBA somehow stay put or relocate, it won’t be the same squad we’ve grown to love.
Inside the NBA kicked off thirty five years ago for the 1989-1990 NBA season, but there wasn’t a fixed analyst or team; a few reporters would rotate duties for each game (including the late, legendary Craig Sager). The second season brought on Ernie Johnson, who would occasionally be joined by former or then-current players to discuss games, shifts in the season, and strategy. He would have his first permanent co-host, Smith, join a year after the latter retired from the league in 1997. A champion role player who became renown for his three point shooting, his dunking ability from early on (and his connection to the All Star Weekend Dunk Contest, either as a participant or, later on, as an analyst), and the myriad of teams he wound up playing for later on in his career, Smith knew a little bit of everything and felt like a great match. It didn’t take long for another retired player, this time the Round Mound of Rebound himself (Barkley) to join in 2000; any basketball fan knew the icon’s bluntness and controversial statements from beforehand, and his spiciness made Inside the NBA even more earnest — albeit hilarious and fiesty — than it already was, as if Barkley’s dangerous comments assured us that this content was unfiltered and so we’d only get the best observations, untainted by corporate correctness or the intention to cause a stir just to be noticed. Everyone here stayed true to themselves.
Filling the fourth spot proved to be difficult for a few years. Legendary point guard Magic Johnson joined for a few years (2003 to 2007), with major players Chris Webber and Reggie Miller splitting the spot afterwards (from 2008 to 2011); while each analyst shined in their own way, they didn’t quite mesh with the Inside the NBA crew (I will say that Webber was the best fit of the three, and Miller is incredibly strong on his own). Then came the time for yet another player to retire and try their hand at that fourth spot, and that person was O’neal in 2011 (whose name is affiliated with countless companies and businesses at this point, so having the TNT logo under his belt didn’t come as a surprise). Even though O’Neal is a rougher analyst than the three aforementioned players who tried to take up the fourth spot, his personality is ginormous. This means that O’Neal roars with laughter to the point of choking (causing us to join in on the guffaws), gets competitive at the drop of a hat (if I had a dollar for every time he brought up his four championship rings as a defensive tactic, I could maybe buy one off of him), and — most importantly — makes us feel like big kids at heart. This goes without saying considering his infamous segment Shaqtin’ a Fool: a blooper reel of the biggest mistakes NBA players make during matches each week, with many clips going viral.
The three players analyze in the ways they performed on the court. Barkley is gruff and to the point, and he will speak whatever is on his mind without thinking twice. O’Neal will either go for the easy dunk (stating a concrete opinion as straight forwardly as he can) or will instigate (he is known for his ability to play bully ball). Smith will offer up assists to keep things going, be it a fiery argument between Barkley and O’Neal, or for either of the big men to continue with a hilarious comment that is within reach. Then there’s Johnson who loves the game and wants to keep things on track. Try as he might, Johnson will always attempt to circle back to that evening’s games, topical talking points, or whatever is actually relevant when the three co-hosts veer off track to the point of no repair. Johnson isn’t too serious or mature to not join in, though, and it’s when Johnson gives up on trying to talk ball that things get even funnier (Johnson usually has the best quips or burns, as if he is holding his fire and hoping for these kidults to settle down or else he will let hell break loose). The result is a guaranteed barrel of fun, with many tears shed from laughing — even on some of my worst days.
Of course, fun and games don’t really represent how good these fab four were at being basketball analysts. It goes without saying that it’s next to impossible to be a perfect analyst, but it’s nice that the Inside the NBA crew didn’t try to always be right or pretend to have a good read on the league. Sure, they can write predictions on sticky notes, only to see which claims age well and which sour over time. Barkley can slam a button, make a “guar-an-teeeee!” and most likely jinx a team from winning (his prediction rate isn’t the best). What makes this team special is that they prioritize the jovial atmosphere of their workplace, and never pretend to be the face of the league (unlike many other analysts who scream to be heard, talk nonsense in order to get clicks online, or cause chaos to appear better than anyone else). Three of these analysts have lived and breathed all things basketball, and they know what their individual worth is to the league’s history and to themselves. The man at the top, Johnson, is as professional as analysts can be, and he’s way above causing any stirs to get noticed; he doesn’t need the artificial boost.
The end result is a consistent show connected to a league that is always rapidly changing. Twenty years ago, defense in the NBA began to dwindle and flashiness took over; cut to a few years later, and offense became even more of a priority once a player like Stephen Curry extended how far out you could shoot (and, suddenly, every player needed to learn how to drop a three pointer). The All Star game was no longer exciting, so the format was changed to a school yard pick so we could see team captains duke it out; it recently went back to the standard west versus east teams). Viewership was spotty during the regular season, so an in-season tournament was just added (the Los Angeles Lakers just won the first said trophy, only to get eliminated the first round of the playoffs, so who knows what validity this tournament holds just yet). Commissioner Adam Silver is trying everything to make the NBA rise in viewership, and that most likely includes TNT losing the rights to covering the league.
Which I think is painfully stupid.
Again, Inside the NBA was reliable and dependable while the league has gone through identity crisis after identity crisis. If anything, I guarantee that many people still watch NBA games because of Inside the NBA, and I know this from the outpour of online comments on social media. People are finding the games frustrating. Shoddy refereeing is bringing up everyone’s blood to a boiling point, and the legalization of sports betting in the United States cannot be ignored as a possible reason as to why adequate officiating is at an all time low. The fast paced speed of the game has led to a plethora of injuries, rendering so many players and teams injury prone and — therefore — seasons become disappointing. Many players have cracked the code that seasons only matter so much (as a huge Jimmy Butler fan, it’s clearly in his strategy to play well enough in the season and save up for the post season), so that’s months of so-so basketball (don’t forget the amount of teams that tank to get better draft pick odds the following off season). All stars no longer need to care during the All Star Weekend, so even this — the “fun” break from the season with much voted on by fans — is a chore to watch. For those who live and breath basketball, you have a series of nonsensical regulations that make it difficult. For instance, you can purchase a season package to watch every single NBA team… except for your local team, which you must watch via your local television provider (what sense does this make?).
I could keep going, but I won’t. There has been much that is now rendered dull or mediocre within the NBA. You get the occasional great game, sure, and the playoffs usually promise excitement (when there aren’t clear blowouts), but these add up to a small percentage of an entire season. The constant was Inside the NBA for many viewers. You know that the most boring games will have the panel lightening things up with silly commentary and antics. The best games would lead to some fascinating conversations and hot takes. You never knew what you’d get from an NBA game, where players can be injured, not give their all, have a blowout, or — in a more optimistic sense — deliver the most riveting moments of your week, month, year, or life. You always know what you’d get from Inside the NBA: one of the best sports shows of all time (certainly the most electrifying). Many viewers are insisting that they’ll stop watching the NBA once this show is gone, and I fully believe them because of the devotion and similar sentiments I’ve seen for decades now.
This is yet another example of businesses and billionaires having no concept of who their audience is because they don’t know what is generating interest. Sure, angry, talking heads will garner some hits, but enough yelling will annoy viewers to the point of swapping channels; enough nonsensical takes will frustrate viewers beyond repair; enough ego will make viewers vow not to watch these commentators. Silver, the NBA, and company had the opportunity to stick with the broadcast that spawned the most genuine passion and fun, but they’re letting money do the talking. I foresee the NBA taking a major hit in viewership once Inside the NBA — an irreplaceable show that nearly seamlessly fell into place and cannot be mimicked — is gone. My heart will break when this day comes, but I know the future is bright for the four now-iconic analysts affiliated with the show; my heart bleeds for the many dedicated crew members that help make this magical show come to life (they are just as important as the on-screen panel, because of how they allow these personalities to shine). This decision is focused just on basketball and the intention to boost viewership (which feels so questionable still), but Inside the NBA had the knack that most similar broadcasts don’t have: it transcended the sport. Should it go, we will all miss Inside the NBA.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.