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ESPN president of content Burke Magnus told The Athletic on Friday that his company will not be making many changes to the current format of Inside the NBA.
Inside The NBA To Debut On ESPN This Fall
Inside the NBA will be making its ESPN debut next month for the upcoming 2025-26 NBA season after previously airing for NBA on TNT broadcasts from Nov. 4, 1989, through May 31, 2025.
Magnus said ESPN’s show will air live on the network for the pregame, halftime, and postgame.
Although Jon Lewis of Sports Media Watch reported last month that Inside the NBA will air in a half-hour timeslot at the beginning of the season, Magnus mentioned the show will air as long as it did on TNT for postgame talk.
“That is our goal. It will be as close to that as we can possibly get. I understand that standard operating procedure for us for many years has been to get to SportsCenter,” he said.
“There’s going to be 200 or 300 (other) nights or so that we’re still going to do that.”
TNT Commentator Quartet To Make Its Return
The iconic commentator quartet of Charles Barkley, Ernie Johnson Jr., Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O’Neal will also be part of ESPN’s opening night coverage on Wednesday, Oct. 22.
“[Fans are] going to get the show they love in a way that’s very similar to the way it’s always been,” Magnus added. “It’s still produced in Atlanta by the very same people that produced it for Turner. It’s in their building. Other than a logo on the set, it’s going to appear the same, and that’s exactly what we want.”
The show will have a “hiatus early in the season, as ESPN’s NBA schedule is backloaded,” but it will be on the air for the Christmas Day lineup. Magnus confirmed that the group “will be on the air for all of ESPN’s playoff nights.”
When Inside the NBA is not hosting, Magnus said ESPN will continue to use its NBA Countdown crew.
It should be noted that while the original show typically aired on Tuesdays and Thursdays, ESPN is set to air games on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
