Fool him once, shame on Kenny Smith. But fool him twice, shame on Shaq.
During a segment on Thursday night’s edition of Inside the NBA on TNT, we saw them dive deep into their bag of tricks to pull out off a class prank. This included Smith tricking O’Neal into walking toward the Christmas tree on the set to grab one of his gifts.
Smith, exactly like he has in the past, then pushed the four-time NBA champion directly into the tree. O’Neal absolutely should have seen this coming considering he has fallen victim to this somanytimes before.
It was either a well-timed maneuver from Smith or O’Neal was in on the bit.
If the longtime NBA big man was indeed part of the joke, he probably could have had a decent career in stunt comedy or professional wresting because he took that fall fairly well.
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Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith will also remain with the network and will continue the show during its migration to ESPN. But as for Shaq, his future is actually uncertain.
“Sources say O’Neal’s contract with WBD expires on July 1, 2025.
O’Neal has a slightly different deal than his three castmates because they do other things for WBD, including the NCAA tournament. Shaq’s deal is strictly for the NBA and it’s up in about eight months.
While sources say Shaq wants to remain on the show, he’s frustrated that there has been congratulations and press releases hyping that Inside the NBA is remaining the same while he is currently not under contract to be with the company next season.”
The show would simply not be the same without Shaq, whose chemistry especially with Barkley is unparalleled.
Shaq still has plenty of time to strike a deal with either Warner Brothers Discovery, ESPN, Amazon, or NBC before next season begins.
Charles Barkley continues to not have any idea who these guys play for.
Death, taxes, and Charles Barkley appearing on on the Inside the NBA segment “Who He Play For” with incorrect guesses.
These are all inevitable truths about existence and Barkley confirmed the latter yet again with a putrid performance on Thursday night. During his latest appearance for NBA on TNT, the former NBA MVP reminded fans around the world just how bad he is at this game.
The rules are simple: His co-hosts name a player and Barkley simply has to tell the viewers at home what uniforms that individual wears. But sadly, his knowledge of role players around the league is fairly minimal and he always strikes out.
This year was no exception was Barkley got just one correct and it was after a clue from his co-host, Kenny Smith.
Perhaps his lowest moment was guessing the “New Jersey Nets” for Taj Gibson, which is particularly shocking because that team does not exist. The Nets moved to Brooklyn in 2012.
Barkley also failed to correctly identify which team employs Garrett Temple, which is particularly surprising because Temple is a recurring theme of this segment. His employment status is asked every year, so Barkley easily could have studied up on that player in particular.
Charles Barkely had harsh words for the NBA after a decision from the league.
Charles Barkley was not happy with the latest about the NBA’s broadcasting rights, issuing a statement about the decision on Friday morning.
The NBA recently announced that the media rights will belong to Disney, NBCUniversal, and Amazon Prime Video beginning in 2025. Warner Bros. Discovery (the parent company of Turner Sports) made an effort to match the offer, but it was denied.
This is a massive statement from Barkley, who pointed the blame toward the league instead of his employer.
He previously said the following, blaming his bosses for botching these conversations as recently as just a couple of months ago:
“I think the first thing is, they came out and said we didn’t need the NBA,” said Barkley. “So I think that probably pissed [commissioner] Adam [Silver] off. I don’t know that, but when we merged, that’s the first thing our boss said. ‘We don’t need the NBA.’ Well, he don’t need it, but the rest of the people, me, Kenny, Ernie, Shaq and the rest of the people who work there, we need it.”
Now, it sure sounds like Barkley is arguing that the NBA and Adam Silver were not bargaining in good faith and never had any intentions of retaining rights with Turner Sports. The company said that it has taken legal action in response and a lawsuit was filed against the league.
Things are officially messy between the NBA and TNT
The future of the NBA on TNT and, more specifically, Inside the NBA has never been more in doubt than it is right now.
For weeks, we’ve been following the reporting on the NBA’s new broadcast deal negotiations. The league agreed to a $76 billion deal with ESPN, NBC and Amazon, making all three entities the new home of the NBA for the next 11 seasons. TNT and Turner Sports were on the outside looking in.
That is, until just a few days ago, when TNT announced it’d be using a clause in its current contract with the NBA to match its deal with Amazon, meaning that the league would remain a partner with the network and that Inside the NBA would survive.
However, the NBA made it clear that it wanted to move on and partner with Amazon, leaving room for things between the two sides to get messy.
NBA announces that Warner Bros. Discovery did not match the terms of Amazon Prime and are agreeing to a longterm arrangement with Amazon. pic.twitter.com/5bYI2i1vFd
“Warner Bros. Discovery’s most recent proposal did not match the terms of Amazon Prime Video’s offer and, therefore, we have entered into a long-term arrangement with Amazon. Throughout these negotiations our primary objective has been to maximize the reach and accessibilty of our games for our fans. Our new arragement with Amazong supports this goal by complementing the broadcast, cable and streaming packages that are already part of our new Disney and NBCUniversal arrangements. All three partners have committed substantial resources to pmorote the league and enhance the fan experience.”
With the NBA now taking the first step forward in officially moving on with its new partners, we’ve got three big questions about how things happened and where things go from here.
Did the NBA get off on a technicality?
Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports
The NBA makes it clear as day that TNT did not match the terms of Amazon Prime’s agreement. But what does that mean, specifically?
It doesn’t sound like this is a money thing. Warner Bros. Discovery targeted the Amazon Prime deal because it thought it could match it financially. The terms that didn’t match seem to go beyond financials.
The league says its primary objective has been to “maximize the reach and accessibility of our games for our fans.” It touts Amazon’s ability to complement the broadcast, cable and streaming packages currently available.
Did Amazon seem to agree to a service that Warner Bros. Discovery can’t replicate? This bit from The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand’s piece on the situation after TNT decided to match the deal a few days ago may shed some light on things.
“While the exact matching language of the deals is not fully known, the package that Amazon has won is not exactly the same as TNT Sports’ current arrangement. For example, TNT’s present contract calls for the conference finals every year as compared to every other. The NBA and Amazon may have agreed to other rights that TNT cannot deliver.”
If the NBA and Amazon have agreed to things TNT can’t do, the league may have felt that was enough reason to nix the deal.
Will TNT take this to court?
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
With the NBA seemingly moving on here, what is the next step for TNT? Surely, the network isn’t going to give this up without a fight. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have made the effort to match.
As far as TNT is concerned, according to Marchand’s latest from The Athletic, the network’s matching rights simply allow it to say whether it wants to keep the NBA or not — that may be considered different from matching the deal word for word in the network’s eyes.
If that’s the case, TNT could take this thing to court, though, neither side reportedly wants to go there. Here’s more from Marchand:
“Neither side would likely want to enter a legal case, where private conversations could become public during discovery. If TNT does file a suit, it could lead to more talks and a possible compromise with other NBA rights or financial possibilities being the outcome.”
But what about everyone else? Will the show just dissolve next season? There may be a scenario where some of the personalities we see on TNT simply migrate over to other networks to cover the league. We’ll just have to wait and see.
But reality is here now. We may be watching the end of an era next season. Honestly, after 40 years, it’s kind of sad to see.
Good morning, Winners! Welcome back to the Morning Win. You could’ve been anywhere on the internet this morning, but you’re here with us. We appreciate you. Happy Friday!
It sounds like we’ll finally be getting an answer on the future of Inside the NBA soon.
But TNT isn’t out of the picture just yet. The company has matching rights on whatever deal the NBA agrees to, according to the latest from Front Office Sports’ Michael McCarthy. It can reinsert itself into the conversation by matching one of the offers from NBC Universal or Amazon.
According to McCarthy, TNT has five days left to decide if it’ll match one of the NBA’s new deals.
“TNT got the contracts Wednesday night, say my sources. So it will have approximately five days, until next Monday, to “match” either Amazon Prime Video’s $1.8 billion–per-year offer or NBC’s $2.5 billion–per-year bid. (Disney’s ABC/ESPN is expected to retain the NBA’s TV “A” package, including the NBA Finals, at a price of $2.8 billion per year.)”
Deadline reported on Wednesday that TNT intends to match the Amazon Prime Video offer, which is reportedly $700 million cheaper than the NBC bid. That won’t come easy. Considering how much money is on the table here, it will probably get ugly and litigious. The stakes are high.
But this is good news for fans hoping the Inside the NBA crew could stick together for the long run. Regardless of negotiations, we’re technically still getting one more season of the show, but so many people have grown up with this show and its incredible cast of characters. Charles Barkley and crew have worked their way into people’s hearts over the last few decades. Knowing that it’s on its last legs is a bit heartbreaking. Most people don’t want to see that simply go away.
This All-Star game is generally a blast. And — get this — it’s usually competitive! Like, the players actually try. And the fans appreciate it!
That should especially be the case this year, considering the stakes. It’s Team USA vs. the WNBA All-Stars. This isn’t just an All-Star game — it’s a warm-up game for the best players in the league before they take off to Paris and try to win another gold medal. There’s something to play for here.
On top of that, we’ve got Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese in the first of what will probably be many All-Star games for the two of them. The two rivals will be teammates for the first time in their careers. That should be fun.
Lock in this weekend, folks. This is going to be a good one.
The Open is brutal for Rory McIlroy
Sometimes life trolls you, man. Plain and simple. You can’t tell me that’s not what’s happening to Rory McIlroy. The golf gods are just messing with him. It’s mean.
“It got so bad for McIlroy on Thursday that he essentially played himself out of contention in the opening round. McIlroy shot an abysmal 77, putting him at seven-over par and tied for 133rd. No moment summed up his day quite like the bunker shot on the eighth hole, known as ‘The Postage Stamp’.”
Here’s that bunker shot.
Royal Troon is claiming victims at The Open Championship.
Awesome example of what happens in these bunkers. You can make an easy bogey, but if you want a par you often need to take a big risk.
“Music and sports have always been intertwined and probably always will be.”
Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith had no idea what was coming next. Neither did Charles Barkley and Ernie Johnson, though neither would have recognized it even if they did.
As TNT’s Inside the NBA welcomed fans to halftime between the Mavericks and Clippers on May 1, the hosts of the beloved basketball talk show were met with a clip from “Euphoria” by rapper Kendrick Lamar, which was perhaps the most vicious of Lamar’s many diss tracks against Drake.
Johnson, unaware of the context of the music, introduced his co-hosts as the song continued to play. It took some time for Smith to realize what was happening but once he did, he couldn’t help but laugh.
“Why y’all putting us in the middle of the rap beef, man?” Smith said on the broadcast. “Come on, man!”
Once he caught on, O’Neal laughed wholeheartedly at the absurdity of the situation. Barkley looked disgruntled and couldn’t believe “grown [expletive] men” would involve themselves in such petty drama as a rap beef. Johnson tried his darnedest to bring it back home and get the crew to talk about basketball, asking his co-hosts about the Mavericks to no avail.
Clever audio programming like this has become one of the many secret ingredients that leads to the continued success of Inside the NBA. Music is typically the first part of the halftime studio show and sets up whatever the crew is going to talk about for the next 15 minutes. None of this happens by accident.
“We’re just trying to throw as much stuff in front of Shaq, Charles, Kenny and Ernie that’s going to get a reaction out of them,” Keith Robinson, a TNT Sports studio producer for Inside the NBA, told For The Win. “It created a moment.”
Within seconds, fans on the internet went wild for the “Euphoria” clip. It was especially captivating because the song had only been released the previous day. The “Euphoria” lead-in was also a perfect encapsulation of the show that has aired since 1989, which has now spanned more than a decade with this unique cast of characters.
Robinson works directly alongside Donzell Floyd, a senior associate producer and director for TNT Sports, on these choices.
“Every now and then, our talent will have input but very rarely will they know what song is coming in,” Floyd said. “That’s why you saw the reaction you saw when we played the Kendrick record. They had no idea. They usually don’t know.”
For example, they knew when they played Kendrick Lamar, it could have gone one of several ways. That includes the cast potentially not even hearing it or having any reaction whatsoever.
“Or maybe Shaq is going to hear it and jump up and do something that is so crazy that it’s going to have to make us play an extra minute or a minute and a half,” Floyd said. “All of those things are on the table at that point.”
Multiple record labels have reached out to the folks at TNT Sports with a list of new releases they can potentially play on the broadcast.
It isn’t just the studio show that uses music to keep the audience engaged, though. During games on TNT’s broadcast, associate producer Erron Banks is also intentional with his music decisions.
Banks picks between 12-to-15 pre-cut songs when he is fading in music on the game broadcast. For the studio show, meanwhile, Floyd said that he will actually have somewhere between 60-to-100 songs queued up at any given moment.
TNT is under an ephemeral clause, which means they are allowed a courtesy one-time use only. When the game does re-air, they substitute their TNT theme music where those songs played.
TNT Sports
Whether it’s something as obscure as “Game Over” by Houston rapper Lil’ Flip during a Rockets victory or a popular throwback like nWo’s Wolfpac theme during a Timberwolves win, these choices can lead to viral moments online as well.
“Sometimes we have played music like Lil’ Flip and I haven’t thought of him in ages and we’ll see he’s trending on Twitter because people are tagging him that he was on NBA on TNT.” Robinson said. “I always wonder what guys like Lil’ Flip are thinking of when that happens. Did he even hear it or see it himself? Why am I trending right now?”
Music is genuinely one of the characters on TNT for the live broadcast and the studio shows. But if people are starting to notice that more now, that’s only because there are more people tuning in this time of year.
“It’s basically a part of the show just as much as we show fan tweets and posts talking about the guys, the music is a part of our overall coverage,” Robinson said “It’s just amplified now because people are watching the playoffs and more eyes are tuned in.”
“Music and sports have always been intertwined and probably always will be,” Floyd added. “It feels like it may be a little bigger recently but we have been doing music for years now because it’s a part of our DNA at this point.”
The cast will sometimes sing songs when they’re creating a mood on the set, even when they’re not on the air. But while the reactions are often beautifully spontaneous and improvised, the audio programming is not.
“It’s not just to play music,” Robinson said. “It’s all thoughtful and looking for the right moment for the right song at that moment to not only have an impact with the guys in the studio but for stuff to catch online.”
Inside the NBA producers are often thinking of location and demographic for the game they are assigned when they make their needle drops. Perhaps the halftime highlights lead with Anthony Edwards, then TNT may choose a musician from Edwards’ hometown of Atlanta.
Or if the game is in Indianapolis, Floyd is likely to have his headphones on midway through the second quarter to find the perfect track to play at the break. Even if people do not realize TNT chose to play Babyface during a Pacers game because the rapper is from Indiana, there was an intentionality to the process.
“It depends on where we are and then I start digging through the crates,” Floyd said.
Last season, for example, they had a Warriors game in the Bay Area and used it as an excuse to play Oakland-native MC Hammer.
O’Neal heard the song and brilliantly challenged Barkley to do MC Hammer’s typewriter dance, which immediately derailed all attempts at analysis for the remainder of the segment.
It wasn’t ideal to spark high-level basketball analysis but it was wildly entertaining for fans.
Similarly, a few years ago, the crew was providing halftime analysis when the Heat played the Bucks. The studio played Rick Ross because he is from Miami and O’Neal had a joking moment with Johnson, assuming he didn’t know who that was.
Johnson correctly identified the song as one by “The Boss” Rick Ross and hilariously shouted out “M.I. Yayo”, a signature catchphrase of the rapper. It is all a part of the magic that keeps this show so engaging.
“That’s just another way to have fun with them and give the audience a peek behind the curtain with not just basketball but part of the culture,” Robinson said.
Even though the future of TNT’s NBA rights are up in the air, it is this sort of careful attention to detail that makes Inside the NBA such a defining part of the basketball ethos.
“We have the best show going and we’re going to continue to do what we do.” Floyd said. “We hope that it impacts and affects someone and it makes your day feel that much better because we’re in the business of entertainment.”
Following the improbable comeback win over Denver, Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards appeared on TNT’s postgame coverage of the game. During this exchange with Barkley, the Inside the NBA host said that he had not been to Minnesota in approximately twenty years (which may not be true).
This seemed to excite Edwards, though, who told Barkley to “bring his [expletive]” out there. It was yet another hilarious moment from Edwards, who has now become arguably the funniest player in postgame interviews.
Chuck: "I have not been to Minnesota in probably 20 years."
Barkley then asked Edwards one of the most important questions you could possibly ask a basketball player after a series-clinching victory: When I’m in your city, what should I eat?
Edwards said he would find a way to get Barkley’s contact information and would gladly provide a list of recommendations.
Bar La Grasa Manny’s Palour Spoon & Stable Billy Sushi Hai Hai Young Joni Petite Leon Matt’s Martina Hola Arepa Murray’s Broder’s Pasta Bar Pizza Luce Quang’s Revival Brasa Hen House
🧵 With the news that TNT might lose the NBA, it’s time to share the story about Ernie Johnson and the @NBAonTNT halftime show he made for my Bar Mitzvah.
It began w my dad and ended w me being called a drug addict & ballhog (fair, tbh) in front of family & friends
With such uncertainty, fans of the show like author Ben Kaplan are paying tribute to Inside the NBA while it still exists.
Kaplan tweeted a thread about a Bar Mitzvah gift that he received from his father.
Back in 2000, Kaplan’s father called the folks at TNT to ask if they would record something for the occasion. Johnson was interested and sent back a VHS tape.
Here’s the first half of the report, featuring George Karl and Kenny. It’s cutesy and a neat thing for a teenage boy.
(Gonna cut this off before they get to Vecsey because that’s where the magic happens)
Johnson was joined by Kenny “The Jet” Smith, who is still a co-host of the show more than 20 years later.
They parodied an episode of Inside the NBA to report that Kaplan would skip high school and go straight to the pros.
While the two did not yet have Charles Barkley (who joined the show later that year) and Shaquille O’Neal (joined in 2011, this particular panel included former NBA head coach George Karl and veteran reporter Pete Vescey.
And here’s the second half. I still to this day have no idea how @PeterVecsey1 did this with a straight face. He knows he’s talking about a 13-yr-old on the biggest day of that kid’s life, with friends and family watching!
While the part of the story involving Vescey is very silly, there is also an incredibly heartwarming aspect as well. Kaplan shared that in 2022, his dad was fighting a rare cancer diagnosis and Johnson stepped up yet again.
Johnson recorded a special message for Kaplan’s father’s 72nd birthday, and he called it the best gift he ever received. The two began texting, especially while Kaplan’s father received treatments.
Ben, my friend. You think you do, but you have no idea what this series of events meant to me. My only explanation for the opportunity and the timing is, as @petermayermusic writes in his song “Loose in the World” is that this was all “the hand of the Divine.” Blessings on you and your family.
This is such a beautiful story the encapsulates what Inside the NBA means to so many people around the world.
Charles Barkley called the media cowards for blaming these losses on coaching.
After the Lakers and Suns were both eliminated from the postseason, the job status of head coaches Darvin Ham and Frank Vogel came into question.
Their respective first-round exits concluded Ham’s second season with Los Angeles and Vogel’s first season with Phoenix. Following the losses, reports surfaced that both individuals could get replaced as the head coach of their franchise for next season.
This didn’t sit right with TNT’s Charles Barkley, who went on a rant about why the coaches weren’t to blame for either elimination.
Here is what he said:
“A lot of these people on television, they’re cowards. They want the players to like them. They don’t want to do their job, which is to tell the truth. I just want to say this about coaching. Anybody who thinks the Lakers such is because of Darvin Ham or the reason the Suns suck is because of Frank Vogel: You don’t know what you’re talking about. Frank Vogel is a hell of a coach. Darvin Ham is a hell of a coach trying to get his career started. But for all you punks, idiots, and jackasses on other networks who want to be media and want all the players to like ya’ll: Do your damn job. The Lakers suck and the Suns suck because of the players. It has nothing to do with the coaches.”
Barkley concluded that he felt a lot better after his rant, punctuating it by saying that the people who deserve blame are the ones who put these “trash” teams together.
Considering that both coaches may not have power over roster construction, the Inside the NBA co-host is absolutely right in that the major flaws of these teams were likely in the front office.
