'Stupid idea'? Charles Barkley says 'Inside the NBA' hosts may have another show on TNT

The “Inside the NBA” unit bid an affectional farewell connected TNT implicit the play successful what was said to beryllium the show’s last airing connected that web earlier being licensed to ESPN starting adjacent season.

But was it truly the past clip viewers volition spot Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson unneurotic connected TNT successful that format?

Maybe not, based connected comments Barkley made Monday connected “The Dan Patrick Show.”

Before anyone gets excessively excited astir the notion, however, cognize that Barkley introduced the taxable by saying that “TNT is trying to bash thing anserine down the scenes.”

He utilized the connection “stupid” respective much times to picture an thought helium says is successful the works for a amusement to aerial connected TNT, abstracted from the 1 that is moving to ESPN/ABC, that besides would person Barkley, O’Neal, Smith and Johnson discussing the NBA.

“We taped a aviator astir a period agone and it was the stupidest s— I’ve ever seen successful my life,” Barkley said.

TNT did not respond to requests for remark for this article. ESPN declined to comment.

When TNT was near retired of the NBA media rights pact past summertime with NBCUniversal, Walt Disney Co. and Amazon, it seemed inevitable that “Inside the NBA” would extremity its tally aft 35 years.

But the fashionable amusement was fixed a lifeline months later.

“ESPN, successful concern with TNT Sports and the National Basketball Association, announced contiguous that it volition exclusively contiguous the iconic Inside the NBA workplace amusement connected its platforms starting with the 2025-26 regular season,” ESPN said successful a Nov. 18 quality release. “TNT Sports volition proceed to independently nutrient Inside the NBA from its Atlanta-based studios implicit the word of the agreement.

“The legendary Inside the NBA workplace squad volition look connected ESPN and ABC surrounding high-profile unrecorded events, including ESPN’s pregame, halftime and postgame sum of the NBA Finals connected ABC, Conference Finals, NBA Playoffs, each ABC games aft January 1, Christmas Day, opening week, the last week of the play and different marquee unrecorded events.”

Barkley referred to that docket portion talking with Patrick.

“We’re not gonna beryllium connected ESPN arsenic overmuch arsenic radical think,” Barkley said. “We’re lone astir apt gonna beryllium moving for ESPN similar fractional the clip to one-third of the time.”

Barkley said that’s wherever the thought of a abstracted amusement connected TNT came from.

“I conjecture they privation to consciousness similar they’re doing thing to marque america gain our wealth from TNT,” helium said.

Barkley said helium thinks it’s “a anserine thought for a mates reasons.”

“Number one, we won’t person hoops highlights [on TNT],” Barkley said. “But also, we’re astir apt gonna beryllium going up against an NBA game. And anybody who likes hoops ain’t gonna say, ‘Hey, you cognize what? Let maine crook disconnected an NBA crippled connected Amazon, ESPN oregon NBC to spell ticker these 4 dudes beryllium astir and speech astir nothing.’ So it’s complicated. And similar I say, we taped a aviator doing anserine worldly and it was conscionable anserine stuff.”

Barkley continued: “We can’t amusement highlights, truthful we were sitting determination for similar an hr and a fractional taping this pilot, and we were looking astatine each other, ‘What the hellhole are we doing?’ But I springiness TNT credit. The archetypal happening they said aft the aviator [was], “Yeah, that was truly stupid. We gotta fig thing out.’”