By Caleb Nixon
Copyright clutchpoints
Amid a flurry of NBA offseason headlines, one story still raises questions: ESPN’s use of “Inside the NBA.” The iconic show, hosted by Ernie Johnson and featuring NBA legends Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley, and Kenny Smith, will live on in the 2025-26 season nearly unchanged.
“(Fans are) going to get the show they love in a way that’s very similar to the way it’s always been,” ESPN president of content Burke Magnus told The Athletic’s Richard Deitsch. “It’s still produced in Atlanta by the very same people that produced it for Turner. It’s in their building. Other than a logo on the set, it’s going to appear the same, and that’s exactly what we want.”
The Hall-of-Fame show will be a focal point of ESPN’s NBA coverage this season. They will not be part of every broadcast this season, but Magnus confirmed that the “Inside the NBA” crew will host ESPN’s opening night on October 22, Christmas Day five-game slate, and all playoff coverage.
The 21-time Emmy award-winning show will continue pregame, halftime, and postgame content. Magnus also expressed optimism that ESPN will allow the postgame talk to run long as it did on TNT.
“That is our goal,” Magnus said. “It will be as close to that as we can possibly get. I understand that standard operating procedure for us for many years has been to get to SportsCenter. There’s going to be 200 or 300 nights or so that we’re still going to do that.”
When “Inside the NBA” is not hosting, Magnus said ESPN will continue to use its “NBA Countdown” crew. With the company set to air games on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, it’ll be an adjustment for “Inside the NBA,” which typically aired on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
More details are expected to emerge as tipoff approaches. But one thing is certain heading into the new season: “Inside the NBA” on ESPN on October 22.
