ESPN scores big with 'Inside the NBA' acquisition

When TNT lost the rights to broadcast NBA games in the NBA's new media deal, it looked like this could be the final season for "Inside The NBA." The show, which has won 19 Sports Emmys, lacked a home and a purpose as a pregame and postgame show on a network with no NBA games. That all changed this weekend with a blockbuster trade.

In exchange for the rights to broadcast 15 Big 12 basketball games and 13 Big 12 football games, ESPN gets to license "Inside The NBA" for the next six years. While the program now becomes ESPN's top studio show for its biggest games, including opening night, Christmas Day and the NBA Finals, the show will continue to be produced from Studio J in Atlanta by TNT producers.

It's not the first licensing deal between ESPN and TNT. In April, the networks agreed to put two first-round College Football Playoff games on TNT, with two additional quarterfinal games coming to TNT Sports starting with the 2026 season.

It's also not the first time ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro has imported a show from outside the network. For "Monday Night Football," Pitaro let Peyton and Eli Manning broadcast a show from their homes while bringing in Fox's top team of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman to continue their existing partnership. Pat McAfee does his daily show from Indianapolis, Indiana, and popular anchor Scott Van Pelt now broadcasts from his home in Washington D.C., though the show is controlled in ESPN's home of Bristol, Connecticut.

How much influence ESPN and its culture will have on the unique world "Inside" has built over the last 35 years remains to be seen, but for fans of the show, this represents new life for a program that appeared doomed after this year.

For TNT and its parent company, Warner Brothers Discovery, they've gotten some valuable college sports content in exchange for a show they weren't going to be able to keep. It's akin to a struggling team trading a superstar on an expiring contract for prospects. ESPN replaces "NBA Countdown," a show that never really found its footing, and keeps Charles Barkley from going to one of its rivals, NBC or Amazon.

The NBA will surely see more deals this season, but it's unlikely any will have the impact of this one. "Inside The NBA" is saved, and perhaps so is ESPN's NBA coverage.