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The NBA has announced an 11-year media rights agreement with Amazon Prime Video to acquire exclusive U.S. national and international rights coverage for 66 regular-season NBA games. This means Amazon, NBC and ESPN/ABC are the three places fans will be able to watch the NBA once the Warner Bros. Discovery (TNT) contract expires at the end of the upcoming season – beginning with the 2025-26 NBA season.
As part of the deal, Amazon Prime Video will host a new ‘Black Friday NBA game’ and all games from the Knockout Rounds of the Emirates NBA Cup, including the in-season tournament’s Semifinals and Finals. They’ll also own the entire postseason SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament, around one-third of the first and second rounds of the NBA Playoffs, and finally, the Conference Finals in six out of eleven years.
Sadly, the end of the upcoming season will also mark the end of the line for ‘Inside the NBA’, which NBA fans consider the greatest sports studio show ever created.
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Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson brought unmatched energy, unique perspectives, and banter to every TNT game. They weren’t analysts, they didn’t bring technical information to the table very often, and sometimes it was clear the NBA legends on the panel couldn’t care less about the game fans were watching, but it was pure entertainment.
While it’s possible that Amazon Prime Video could sign the ‘Inside the NBA’ crew to their network, it’s highly unlikely. Sources at Sports Business Journal say host Ernie Johnson, who has been at the helm since 1989, is most likely staying with the Turner Sports network, “He is Turner Sports. Period.”
Charles Barkley, who signed a 10-year opt-out contract deal reportedly worth upward of $100 million in 2022, has previously said that even if another network attempted to sign the NBA legends, it wouldn’t be the same without Ernie. “Our show won’t be the same without Ernie. Ernie is the most important person on our show,” said Barkley on ‘The Dan Patrick Show’. According to Barkley, it might not be their decision anyway, “Us other three are screwed, basically… not necessarily screwed, but we won’t have a job.”
Everyone’s eyes are now on Amazon Prime Video, which will have to put together an all-star cast of NBA talent to fill the void left by the ‘Inside the NBA’ crew. It’s a waiting game for now, but our friends at Bleacher Report have put together a great 30-minute highlight reel of the best ‘Inside the NBA’ moments below.
We don’t expect Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson to hold back for their last season. We also don’t expect Charles Barkley to vacation in Galveston after the season ends. Do you remember this moment? We’ve also included a handful of scenes that you might not have seen above.
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