The 2025-26 NBA season will feature ‘Inside the ‘BA’ broadcast on both ESPN and ABC, following months of speculation about its future, as confirmed on Thursday, October 9.
According to the network, the arrangement is part of a “robust” schedule that ensures the beloved studio program remains at the forefront of NBA coverage.
The show, featuring host Ernie Johnson and analysts Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O’Neal, will debut on ESPN on October 22 with a one-hour pregame show preceding the network’s doubleheader, which includes the New York Knicks vs. Cleveland Cavaliers and the San Antonio Spurs vs. Dallas Mavericks.
Under the new 11-year media rights agreement between the NBA, ESPN, and ABC, Inside the NBA will air on 20 different dates throughout the regular season. It will serve as the pregame, halftime, and postgame show for marquee games, including Christmas Day and every Saturday primetime game on ABC beginning January 24.
“Inside the NBA” Schedule and Format
ESPABC’s major NBA broadcasts will continue to air the show consistently. The pregame shows on ESPN will begin an hour before tipoff, and ABC’s broadcasts will commence 30 minutes beforehand.
Fans can engage with extended analysis and signature moments with a postgame show that will continue on the ESPN app after each telecast. ESPN’s president of content, Burke Magnus, said the partnership is designed to preserve the show’s unique personality.
“We’re proud that Inside the NBA – one of the most iconic and beloved shows in all of media – will play a leading role in our NBA coverage,” Magnus said. “Fans should expect the same great they’re accustomed to watching as it becomes an essential part of the NBA’s biggest events, including the Finals.”
Although ESPN will broadcast the show, Inside the NBA will continue to be produced’s TNT’s Atlanta studio. The sub-licensing deal was reached after Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of TNT, and Disney settled a lawsuit stemming from the NBA’s decision not to renew TNT’s rights.
Barkley’s Cautious Optimism About the Move
Despite the continuation of Inside the NBA, fans’ fears persist, but Charles Barkley has been open about his concerns. In the last twelve months, he has critiqued TNT’s negotiation tactics with the NBA and wondered how its trademark authenticity would hold up to ESPN’s structure. “I’m.
“I’m happy it’s going on, but it’s going to be interesting,” Barkley said in July. “It’s going to be different. We just don’t know how it’s going to be different.”
Barkley has expressed skepticism about time constraints, particularly regarding ESPN’s reliance on SportsCenter for postgame coverage.
During a September appearance on The Bill Simmons Podcast, he wondered if the crew would continue to have their more extended, late-night-style discussions, which were a signature of the TNT era.
Shaquille O’Neal Reassures Fans About Specials
Shaquille O’Neal announced that the group will continue filming additional Inside the NBA specials beyond ESPN broadcasts to alleviate those concerns.
O’Neal stated that fans will“definitely be seeing us once or twice a week, speaking with journalist Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson.
In this disclosure, it is clear that the NBA will expand to other platforms, allowing it to opt out of being restricted to its network schedule.
“We’re not reinventing the wheel,” Shaq explained. “We’re bringing the same fun, the same realness, just in a new way.”
A New Chapter for a Beloved Sports Institution
The partnership between ESPN, ABC, and TNT marks the start of a new chapter in the NBA.
ESPN and the show’s cast have demonstrated a mutual commitment to preserving what makes the program special: chemistry, humor, and unapologetic authenticity, despite the transition bringing challenges and questions about creative control.
As the 2025-26 NBA season commences, fans will undoubtedly continue to appreciate Barkley’s unfiltered opinions, Shaq’s comic timing, Kenny’s sharp analysis, and Ernie’s steady leadership. Although the NBA is evolving, its spirit remains the same.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Inside the NBA Debuts on ESPN and ABC with 2025–26 Schedule appeared first on Heavy Sports.