Kenny Smith's Possible Replacement Floated by Former ESPN Host Ryen Russillo

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Nick Meyer | Last updated Jun 2, 2025 12:58 AM ET

Saturday night marked the end of an era for the iconic NBA on TNT and its flagship television show 'Inside the NBA' as host Ernie Johnson put a bow on the show's final episode.

The end of the show coincided with the Indiana Pacers' Eastern Conference Finals clinching Game 6 win over the New York Knicks and sparked talk of potential changes for the show moving forward as it heads to ABC and ESPN.

On Sunday, the show's iconic quartet of Johnson, Kenny Smith, Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley was put on notice by former ESPN host Ryen Russillo as he floated out an interesting potential swap of analysts.

"You have to have these guys after games weighing in on the big picture on stuff that really only Barkley and Kenny...That's where the show matters, and they can't (expletive) with it," The Ringer founder Bill Simmons said on a podcast with Russillo on Sunday.

"What if they replaced Kenny with (ESPN hostess) Mina Kimes?" Russillo casually floated out on the show as his co-hosts began smiling and laughing.

"With ESPN people?" Simmons asked Russillo as Russillo clarified his idea.

"Just thinking of crossover appeal," Russillo added.

Kimes joined ESPN in 2014 when she became a writer for ESPN the Magazine. She was resigned to a multi-year agreement with the network in December 2023 worth $1.7 million as she began to expand her presence on several different ESPN shows.

Smith joined Inside the NBA as an analyst in 1998 after his playing career with the Houston Rockets, North Carolina Tar Heels and other teams.

He is expected to reprise his role with Johnson and his fellow analysts next year.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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