Inside the NBA is nearing its debut on ESPN, and there have been plenty of questions swirling around this new era for the former TNT show. Plenty of sports pundits – some who are directly affiliated with the show and some who aren’t – have weighed in on the transition. Longtime ESPN host Stephen A. Smith has spoken positively about the much-discussed development. Interestingly, Smith recently revealed a major stipulation he had regarding the longtime basketball show’s big move to the Disney-owned network.
While there’s been chatter about Inside’s timeslot, given that early schedule ESPN released, there have also been questions about cross-pollination amongst hosts. As of this writing, there hasn’t been any official indication that personalities like Stephen A. Smith or Malika Andrews will appear on Inside. The possibility of a guest spot was brought up to Smith when he spoke with Front Office Sports. While the outspoken pundit is down for mixing it up with the likes of Charles Barkley or Shaquille O’Neal, he’ll only do so on one condition:
So it seems that Smith will only appear on Inside the NBA if the stars of the series would like him to be involved. Of course, I wouldn’t be surprised if execs were to insist that such a hosting matchup happen, given the potential for strong ratings. Even after ESPN and TNT brokered the deal to move the show, there were reports about the potential for alt-casts, which would see the hosts being mixed and matched on different programs. There’s a lot of ad revenue that could potentially be made, but it seems Smith isn’t rushing into anything:
The mere thought of Stephen A. Smith sharing the table with Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and co. on air is just too intriguing to throw out. Smith and Charles Barkley’s dynamic would be particularly interesting to see, as they’re both vivacious personalities. Nevertheless, Smith respects Barkley and his co-hosts, and I’d certainly imagine they’d all keep it classy (for the most part) while discussing the NBA.
Of course, ancillary hosts aside, there are other elements of Inside’s tenure on ESPN that need to be considered. Not only will the show’s season premiere only be 30 minutes long (as opposed to the usual 50 minutes), but only a handful of broadcasts are planned for the fall, before the show goes on hiatus until the Christmas Day coverage. Company bigwigs and even Shaq have sought to reassure fans, though some have still expressed concerns.