TNT broadcaster Shaquille O'Neal (left) and Charles Barkley (right). Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Is 'Inside the NBA' to blame for NBA ratings decline?

By Sai Mohan | Last updated Dec 19, 2024 4:22 AM ET

Is too much honesty a bad thing?

The honest and unscripted discourse between Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal and Kenny Smith has been one of the biggest selling points of "Inside the NBA" on TNT for over a decade. Yet, there have been countless instances when Barkley, in particular, would throw a fit talking about teams he has no interest in watching.

"I'm tired of talking about the Lakers and Warriors," Barkley said earlier this year, a sentiment he has relayed several times.

Barkley has also regularly expressed frustration when the TNT crew covers West Coast games that finish at 1:00 a.m. ET, forcing him to stay in the Atlanta studio until the wee hours of the morning.

FS1 analyst Jason McIntyre believes Barkley and Co. may have soured NBA fans with their constant nitpicking of the product they are supposed to sell and hype. Speaking on "The Herd with Colin Cowherd" this week, McIntyre blamed TNT's coverage of the NBA for the league's viewership decline.

“I would argue that 'Inside the NBA,' the show that everybody loves, has done more damage to the NBA the last decade than anything.”

- @jasonrmcintyre

(h/t @awfulannouncing )

pic.twitter.com/AgT6YxIq01
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) December 17, 2024

"Inside the NBA goes on every week and just trashes players, trashes the style of play," McIntyre said. "You look at any other show — MLB Network, NFL Network, our network — we are all positive, we're talking about the games. Inside the NBA just hammers the players."

McIntyre pointed to Barkley's recent criticism of the Rockets when the latter said Ime Udoka's team "don't have any idea how to play basketball" and were not ready for nationally televised games. Many felt the comments were a tad too harsh since the Rockets (17-9) own the third-best record in the West and second-best defense in the league.

One wonders if Disney/ESPN would curtail the free-wheeling nature of "Inside the NBA" when the show officially moves to their networks starting with the 2025-26 season. After the move was announced, ESPN president Burke Magnus noted that the show would retain its exact format and avoid wholesale changes, if any.

Sai Mohan

A veteran sportswriter based in Portugal, Sai covers the NBA for Yardbarker and a few local news outlets. He had the honor of covering sporting events across four different continents as a newspaper reporter. Some of his all-time favorite athletes include Mike Tyson, Larry Bird, Luís Figo, Ayrton Senna and Steffi Graf.

More must-reads: