If the preliminary schedule for ESPN’s NBA coverage is to be believed, fans of ‘Inside the NBA’ may be headed for disappointment for the program’s new home.
Last year, ESPN agreed to a sublicensing deal with Turner Sports for the rights to air the popular NBA halftime and post-game show starring Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny ‘The Jet’ Smith, and Charles Barkley.
The deal was reached after Turner’s network – TNT – lost the rights to air NBA games for the 2025-26 season and onward.
But even though the show is set to still hit the airwaves, the possibility for ESPN altering the program remained.
According to Jon Lewis of Sports Media Watch, ESPN’s advance calendar lists the debut of the award-winning show set for ESPN’s first NBA doubleheader of the season on October 22. However, it appears the network has only a half-hour block for the show.
‘The show would run from 12:05-12:35am ET, leading to a Bristol-based SportsCenter at 12:35,’ Lewis reported.
Fans of the popular show ‘Inside the NBA’ may be concerned by a recent report on scheduling
A report from Sports Media Watch indicates ESPN will restrict the show to half-an-hour after the network broadcasts its first doubleheader of the season on October 22
Daily Mail Sport has reached out to ESPN for comment on this report.
The programming decision has notably not been announced by the ‘Worldwide Leader in Sports’ and is likely subject to change.
But Lewis reports that after that half-hour show leading out of the doubleheader, the schedule doesn’t list ‘Inside’ to appear until Christmas Day.
A report from last November noted that the show would air ‘during key moments on the league’s calendar: opening night, Christmas Day, the playoffs and the NBA Finals.’
That report also added that it was ‘also likely it will be on during Saturday nights in the second half of the season, when ABC has a prime-time package of games.’
Fans and those appearing on the show have shared concerns for the rigidity of the company’s programming windows as they transition to the new network.
Last month, Barkley even joked about those concerns, saying, ‘Are they gonna say we gotta go to the SportsCenter?’
‘Inside’ has been no the air since 1989 – debuting on TNT and going through multiple different analysts before arriving at the main roster of four stars.