This Day in NBA Sports History

ESPN won’t change the Elite Inside the NBA Despite Speculation For 2025-26 Season

Brandon Ellis

Inside the NBA has been one of the most iconic shows in Sports Television for the greater part of two decades. With the new NBA TV deal, it will now air on another network for the first time in the 2025-26 season, with ESPN acquiring the rights to air the show. The show will still be shot in the Atlanta studios, with Ernie Johnson, Kenny “The Jet” Smith, Shaquille O’Neal, and Sir Charles Barkley still being the on-air talent. “ESPN has wanted the show for 20-plus years, so why would they change it?” is what sources told Front Office Sports on Monday. So here’s all of the drama surrounding Inside the NBA as of late. 

Other Journalists have had thoughts on ESPN

NBA Finals Ticket Prices, Rick Carlisle, Ernie Johnson
May 31, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Ernie Johnson interviews Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle after game six of the Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Knicks for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The drama of ESPN potentially changing the Inside the NBA all started with former ESPN journalist/analyst Bill Simmons on his podcast saying that ESPN, with how they do studio shows and the commercials, will impact the hit show hard, a day after the Final TNT version of Inside aired. But FOS is hearing from ESPN sources that all of the speculation from people like Simmons, Dan LeBatard, etc., is ridiculous. 

For Example, Inside the NBA is mainly a post-game experience, and ESPN hasn’t done that in the past, but now ESPN is willing to keep that integral part of the DNA of Inside being that Postgame Experience, which addresses Bomani Jones’ concerns. The Bill Simmons commercial concerns are a little valid, but with TNT retaining FULL EDITORIAL CONTROL, that might mitigate the commercial issues a tad, but it could be a wait-and-see process down the road. 

Final Thoughts

I, for one, like the fact that it appears that we will have the same show that we know and love in terms in this version of Inside the NBA. I understand the concerns that former pundits Simmons, Jones, LeBatard, and others might have on the matter because of their experience with ESPN and knowing how they like to do things there. 

But the fact of the matter is, those are just speculations, and right now, ESPN is saying the right things to the media about the process. We will see how things play out during Opening Week, as ESPN will have to compete with NBC and Amazon now for the best quality possible. Total Apex Sports will have more NBA stories like this one throughout the NBA Finals and the Offseason leading up to the new season. 

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