Professional basketball coverage looks different this fall amid the 2025 TV schedule, and that’s certainly been the case for long-running talk show Inside the NBA. Thanks to TNT and ESPN’s historic licensing deal, the beloved show is now airing on the latter network. Media pundits and fans alike were concerned about this change as were the hosts of the show. Now that Inside has been airing on its new network for a few weeks now, co-host Charles Barkley is sharing a humorous (but earnest) take on what it’s been like so far.
Charles Barkley said a lot of wild things when it seemed Inside would be canceled due to TNT losing the broadcast rights to the NBA. And, even after the ESPN deal went through, Barkley remained candid about having questions in regard to how he and his co-hosts would fit into the Disney-owned company’s plans. Barkley dished on his new workplace during his latest visit to The Dan Patrick Show. In a clip shared to X, “Sir Charles” declared he wouldn’t “kiss nobody’s ass” but did share some positive sentiments:
It’s been great. The guys at ESPN – I said this, and I wasn’t kissing anybody’s ass. You know, I ain’t gonna kiss nobody’s ass. That’s the best thing about having money, I don’t have to listen to anybody. It’s an honor and a privilege to work for ESPN, because every kid grew up wanting to be on ESPN, they did. Every kid who’s ever touched any kind of ball, if they’re being honest, if you go on ESPN, you feel like you made it. So it’s been an honor to work for them.
Ahead of Inside the NBA’s season premiere, what many were quite worried about was whether the show’s format would remain intact. Historically, the series has thrived by having an hour-long timeslot, which allows Barkley and co-hosts Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal to really talk about topics related to basketball and more. Another concern was the truncated schedule for the show, which is set to go on hiatus until Christmas after its next broadcast on November 12.
Even though the shortened schedule will remain intact, not much else has seemingly changed about Inside at this point. ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro attempted to ease concerns months ago by emphasizing that the quartet of hosts was staying intact, and they’ve certainly been in top form thus far. On that note, it’s apparent that executives aren’t looking to filter the hosts’ sometimes boisterous way of discussing news. Charles Barkley also added another point in regard to the current state of the show:
We’ve only [done] three shows, and they’ve been great. They left us alone.
As someone who’s long watched Inside, it’s wonderful to see that the show hasn’t lost its signature spark amid its transition to a new network. It would, admittedly, be wonderful if it still aired once a week but, at this point, I just feel fortunate that it’s still around at all. Let’s be real, basketball fans, the notion of a world in which Charles Barkley isn’t sharing his unfiltered views on sports and pop culture during a talk show just seems unfortunate.
Check out the Inside the NBA crew when the show returns to ESPN on Wednesday, November 12 for a doubleheader – the Orlando Magic vs. the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Lakers vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder.
