Earlier this year, TNT’s Inside the NBA was facing cancellation due to a situation between the eponymous sports league and Warner Bros. Discovery. The tide recently changed in a big way, though, as the aforementioned network and its parent company struck a deal with ESPN to keep the show on the air well beyond the 2025 TV schedule. After the news broke, the show’s panelists remained mum on it but, right on cue, Charles Barkley humorously about how the workplace atmosphere has changed due to the new deal.
How Charles Barkley Hilariously Nodded At The Sports Show Being Saved
Inside the NBA returned this past Tuesday for its first broadcast in the aftermath of the big corporate news. For the most part, the show ran as usual, with the gang talking about the latest happenings in professional basketball – in their signature ways. Yet Sir Charles ultimately referenced the recent tension involving the show’s future. As you can see in Awful Announcing’s X post, Barkley believes it’s time to start “kissing ass” again:
Charles Barkley jokes about the new developments with "Inside the NBA""Times have changed, Kenny. We gotta go back to kissing ass." pic.twitter.com/nPuAFYDlfKNovember 20, 2024
Those who are unaware should know that over the past several months Charles Barkley expressed significant disdain for how TNT/Warner Bros. Discovery handled negotiations for the broadcast rights to the NBA. Back in May, Barkley declared that it “suck[ed]” that many of his colleagues would be losing their jobs due to the show ending. The hall of fame basketball player and longtime commentator even went as far as initiating an unauthorized interview in an elevator, where he pleaded his case for his co-workers once more.
As Charles Barkley made wild statements about the state of affairs at Inside the NBA, he also announced that he would retire after the 2024-2025 TV season. However, Barkley eventually walked back his retirement talk, opting to re-sign with TNT Sports in an attempt to save jobs. Still, it now seems that it’s only on the heels of the WBD/Disney agreement that he really feels compelled to play ball again. And, let’s be real, this is indeed a big deal.
What Does TNT And Disney’s Agreement Over Inside The NBA Entail?
The Walt Disney Company reached a historic deal with Warner Bros. Discovery/TNT that will now see Inside the NBA licensed out to ESPN and ABC exclusively for the next 11 years. So, starting with the 2025-2026 season, Inside will air on those two House of Mouse-owned networks, while the series will still be produced by TNT Sports and air from its Atlanta-based studio. With that, co-hosts Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Shaquille O’Neal and the aforementioned “Chuckster” will headline halftime and postgame shows, but that’s not all.
Additionally, Inside will be utilized for coverage of the NBA Finals on ABC as well as the Conference Finals and games scheduled for opening week, Christmas Day, all ABC games after January 1 and the final week of the season. On the other side of this equation, the media personalities will also continue to do other kinds of work for TNT Sports. Aside from providing a way forward for the Emmy-winning talk show, this deal also soothes legal tensions between the NBA and TNT, which sought to sue the legal for allegedly not accepting an offer for one of its broadcast rights packages.
Everything certainly seems to be turning around and, as a longtime Inside the NBA viewer, I’m certainly pleased to know that the show will air for years to come. In the meantime, though, I’m curious as to whether or not Charles Barkley or any of his colleagues might allude to what’s gone down over the past several months. Sure, Barkley claimed that he’ll be kissing butt again but, as history has proven, the Round Mound of Rebound can’t pass up an opportunity to land a jab when it’s presented.
