TNT
Acclaimed NBA pre-and-post game show Inside the NBA is in its final season on TNT. Luckily for basketball fans, a deal was struck for the show to continue on ESPN.
The reason that Inside the NBA is so beloved, of course, is because of its crew: host Ernie Johnson and analysts Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith, and Charles Barkley.
While the trio are obviously esteemed basketball players — Shaq and Chuck are Hall of Famers while Smith is a two-time champion — what makes their show so special is its comedic elements.
Where else, for example, will you see a studio analyst run off set during the middle of a segment due to a potential bowel movement. Nowhere else is the answer. Even the guys on The Pat McAfee Show are presumedly potty-trained.
As the crew were talking, Shaq quickly rises out of his seat, prompting Kenny Smith to innocently ask if he’s “catching a cramp.” Shaq continued to jog off set, telling them to keep talking. Smith then quipped “That’s that olive oil you’ve been drinking,” followed by Barkley joking that he should “take some matches” with him.
“After 40 you can’t hold it no more,” Smith explained. “That’s a first,” a confounded and amused Ernie assed,
Lol Shaq walked off set on live TV to go to the bathroom pic.twitter.com/v3QNDszb4N
— Oh No He Didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) April 22, 2025
Given how ESPN lets the aforementioned Pat McAfee Show do virtually whatever they like, it would suggest they’ll be willing to let Inside the NBA keep up their historic antics when they move over to ESPN next season, too.
The NBA’s new broadcast contracts, which kick in next season, will be with ESPN/NBA, NBC, and Prime Video, ending TNT’s long-time coverage of the league.
Given that TNT does not cover the NBA finals, its run on TNT will conclude with its coverage of the conference finals, which are currently set to begin on May 20.