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It appears Inside the NBA is on the verge of extinction now that TNT has seemingly lost its broadcast rights to Amazon, but one Prime Video exec hinted it could simply be entering a new era based on what he had to say about the future of the beloved program.
There’s a very good chunk of people reading this who don’t know what it’s like to live in a world where Inside the NBA doesn’t exist, as the program has a history stretching back all the way back to 1989—an inaugural season that featured a rotation of hosts before Ernie Johnson stepped into the role he’s held for close to 35 years.
Inside the NBA truly came into its own when Shaquille O’Neal rounded out the trio of Johnson, Charles Barkley, and Kenny Smith in 2011, as the quartet quickly developed some of the best chemistry in sports broadcasting history en route to producing some wildly entertaining television that’s helped set TNT’s coverage apart from the pack.
Unfortunately, all signs point to the program coming to an end once the 2024-25 campaign wraps up after Amazon placed a $1.8 billion bid to secure the broadcasting rights that previously belonged to TNT (the NBA officially announced its new partnership with Prime Video this week, but it looks like things are going to get messy as Warner Bros. Discovery—TNT’s parent company—asserts the league violated its contractual right to match the offer).
At this point, we’re going to have to wait and see who wins what seems poised to be a lengthy legal battle, but fans who are worried about the future of Inside the NBA may be able to take some solace in what Jay Marine, Prime Video’s global head of sports, had to say about its vision while speaking with Sports Business Journal.
Marine told the outlet Amazon has already drawn inspiration from Inside the NBA for the crew it assembled for its Thursday Night Football coverage and made it pretty clear he’d love to bring the beloved quartet aboard, saying, “Obviously, there’ll be a lot of interest, and we’ll just have to see how that plays out.’’
SBJ notes the biggest hurdle is Johnson’s relationship Turner Sports, as the longtime TNT fixture has reportedly already said he has no plans to jump ship if Inside the NBA ceases to exist on the network.
Barkley has made it clear he’s open to exploring other venues and says he has a clause in his contract that allows him to do so if TNT loses the rights to the NBA, but it’s unclear if Kenny and Shaq have the same option.
