Basketball aficionados have been enjoying NBA games for over 75 years and, for well over three decades, many of those events have been accompanied by Inside the NBA. In that time, the long-running sports talk show has provided viewers with invaluable insights into the sport as well as some truly hilarious moments involving its co-hosts. It’s hard to imagine not seeing Ernie Johnson, Kenny “The Jet” Smith, Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley together during a broadcast. However, that may soon become a reality, as the show could finally end at TNT next year. With that, fans are sharing their favorite clips from the program’s lengthy run, and Barkley and Shaq’s antics are still cracking me up.
What Are Inside The NBA Fans Sharing On Social Media?
The TV show has developed a serious following while it’s been on the air all this time, so I’m not totally surprised that so many people are showing love as its future remains uncertain. X is currently filled with fans who are reaching out with clips in an attempt to convey why it would be a shame if the program ended. One such person made a clear declaration on the matter while sharing a video of Shaq and Charles Barkley. In it, the two hall of farmers hilarious reacted to the “police presence” required after the Los Angeles Clippers and Houston Rockets’ locker room scuffle in 2018:
if we really lose Inside The NBA we will be exponentially worse as a society for itpic.twitter.com/EpE0urUIqQMay 14, 2024
I have to say, I’m not sure that we’d be better off as a society without Inside the NBA. It’s a serious breath of fresh air at the end of a week during the regular season. And Shaquille O’Neal and Sir Charles’ exploits. Whether it be O’Neal getting shoved into a Christmas tree or Chuck getting pranked with a bucket of water, these two are a riot while on air. Another user shared an additional clip highlighting the two, and it involved the both of them reading off a promo for another TNT show:
forever my favorite inside the nba clip pic.twitter.com/CuAuV5O9ikMay 14, 2024
What you see above is the kind of hysterical moment that makes this one of the most unique sports commentary series on TV. It may be hard to believe, but the game of basketball is just one of the many topics the quartet of pundits discuss. They discuss pop culture and other subjects, with Charles Barkley even asking about DMs and how one slides into them. Speaking of Barkley, he once shared a wild story about how he received a bracelet and, thankfully, another fan dropped that online as well:
My favorite Inside the NBA moment is when Charles Barkley shared that he got a bracelet from his friend in the steam room.”Towels were on, Chuck?” kills me every time pic.twitter.com/UF5QnI7eXbMay 14, 2024
The “Round Mound of Rebound” has no problem speaking his mind and has proven that on a number of occasions, to humorous effect. He most recently did that when discussing the New Orleans Pelicans’ elimination from the 2024 playoffs. Check out what he said about not sending the team off to Cancún for the offseason:
We cannot lose Inside the NBA, too many great moments like this one pic.twitter.com/zWzgSHgEdkMay 14, 2024
One could bring up a wide range of excellent moments when discussing the greatness of Inside. Though there’s one particular conversation that certainly deserves to be immortalized. Check out the clip below from Mike Golic Jr., which features a car conversation between Shaq and Kenny Smith:
this is what they’re trying to take from us pic.twitter.com/wERTrzvXBEMay 15, 2024
Seriously, I’m not sure I could handle moments like that not being on my TV screen on a weekly basis. All in all, these tributes to the show are excellent, but they also serve as a sad reminder of what so many of us might be losing.
Why Might Inside The NBA Come To An End?
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As reported by The Athletic and other outlets in late April, Amazon Prime Video has reached a deal with the NBA that would give it some of the broadcast rights to the league. ESPN/ABC have a deal in the works that would keep the entertainment entity in the mix as well. That leaves NBC and TNT vying for the last portion of those rights, and it’s looking likely that the former may have the leg up over the latter, which has a deal with the league that ends after the 2024-2025 season.
Both Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal recently missed time on the show in order to travel to New York to help pitch ad buyers during TNT Sports’ Upfront spiel, per Fox Sports Michael McCarthy on X. Amid the proceedings, the two caught up with DailyMail, and Shaq expressed optimism that a deal would be struck. However, Barkley, who renewed his contract with the network in didn’t seem quite as bullish:
We don’t know. I mean, it’d be sad [if the show ended]. We don’t know. I hope it does [continue]. Not just for me and Kenny, Ernie, and Shaq, but for the real people who work there, it sucks right now to be stressful.
If you’re like me, then you’re also probably worried about what might happen, an official announcement should arrive sooner rather than later. While Inside the NBA has had a good run, there are clearly many hoping that they’ll continue to see Charles Barkley, Shaq and co. on their screens amid the 2024 TV schedule and beyond.