Charles Barkley made headlines this past week – and not for making any humorously blunt statements regarding the game of basketball or any other sport. After announcing his retirement from broadcasting earlier this summer, Barkley walked back his comments. So the Round Mound of Rebound is set to remain with TNT Sports beyond the 2024-2025 season, even if his long-running show, Inside the NBA, ends. Even amid the Barkley news though, the apparent cancellation of the aforementioned sports talk show remains a sticking point for fans, who love how unique it is. And, interestingly enough, before he confirmed his plan to return, Barkley discussed why it’s hard for ESPN and others to replicate Inside.
Few would likely doubt that Inside the NBA has built up quite a following since its debut in 1989, and there are plenty of elements that can be attributed to its success. So, when Philadelphia 76ers player Paul George and his co-hosts welcomed Charles Barkley to Podcast P (which is on YouTube), they sought to get his take on whether any other series could ever match. Barkley didn’t have any quips to share on this front. Instead, he provided a cerebral take, arguing that it’s difficult for others to create a similar show due to one key aspect – continuity:
I don’t know if anybody ever gives it a chance, to be honest with you. You know, ESPN – which I love – they never give anybody to get any chemistry. They’re all just kinda throwing stuff at the wall like, ‘Let’s put this group together.’ And they’ll do that for like six months to a year, and then they’re like, ‘It didn’t work.’ Well, you didn’t give it a chance to work. … I don’t think these other networks actually give people a chance to have any chemistry or learn to work off of each other.
ESPN has attracted viewers for years with its talk shows and continues to do so. However, Sir Charles’ rationale is definitely solid. Over the years, the now-Disney-owned network has introduced a plethora of original series that feature a variety of media personalities. A lot of them, unfortunately, don’t last long and, as a result of that, the hosts don’t exactly get that much time to build rapport with each other. That’s unfortunate, especially when it seems that a group is starting to build a firm dynamic just before the plug is pulled on their program.
While it’s definitely popular now, Inside the NBA had to evolve over the years into the show it is today. Of the current quartet of panelists, Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith were holding down anchor duties together, starting in 1998, before Charles Barkley joined in 2000. And, in 2011, Shaquille O’Neal was added to the fold following his retirement from professional basketball. Since then, the hosts definitely seem to have found a sweet spot, which is a major reason why so many people love their over-the-top antics. (Barkley and Shaq laughing about the cops being called by the Clippers or Barkley getting pranked with a bucket are still key moments from the series’ run.) But, of course, above all else, the four also know how to analyze b-ball and provide some strong insight into the more nuanced aspects of the game.
It’s for those reasons and more that fans are so keen on keeping the TNT Sports-produced series on the air. They’ve been rallying behind the program for months now, even sharing funny throwback clips of Shaq and “Chuck” to make their point. More recently, Warner Bros. Discovery (which owns TNT) took legal action against the NBA over the negotiations for a new contract. WBD claimed it aptly matched Prime Video’s offer for the broadcast rights, while the league asserted that it didn’t. Barkley ripped the league for its decision not to accept the bid, going as far as to say that the organization chose “money over the fans.”
Should Inside not return for another season, I’ll be curious to see whether ESPN, NBC or any other network will be able to fill the void with a similar program. Let’s be real, though, the show that Charles Barkley and his colleagues have produced is a truly special entity. I’m glad Barkley isn’t hanging it up, but I’d still be sad to see his famous show close out its run, especially if a suitable successor doesn’t arise.
You can look forward to seeing Inside the NBA return for at least one more season this fall amid the 2024 TV schedule.
