ESPN Reportedly Makes Final Decision On 'Inside the NBA'

"The legendary 'Inside the NBA' studio team will appear on ESPN and ABC surrounding high-profile live events, including ESPN's pregame, halftime and postgame coverage of the NBA Finals on ABC, conference finals, NBA playoffs, all ABC games after January 1, Christmas Day, opening week, the final week of the season and other marquee live events," the network said in a statement.

Former ESPN personality Bill Simmons was quick to predict that his ex-employer would ruin everything that made "Inside" great with how it currently runs its programming.

"I think ESPN is gonna [expletive] the show up. I think they're gonna [expletive] the show up," Simmons said on his podcast. "Unless they completely change how they do commercials, the show is gonna to be different and people are going to be pissed. And Barkley and those guys are going to be pissed, and I think it's gonna go badly."

Kenny "The Jet" Smith admitted in an interview with the New Yorker last month that he had concerns of his own with the "Inside the NBA" jumping to a new network. Revealing that he was "uncomfortable and disheartened" that the crew wasn't involved in the negotiations with ABC.

Still though, it sounds like ESPN is at least paying lip service to the idea that it wants to keep "Inside" the same. But time will tell once its officially broadcasted across the company's airwaves later this fall.