Inside the NBA is a halftime and postgame studio show for selected NBA on ESPN broadcasts, having previously aired for NBA on TNT broadcasts from 1989 to 2025. The show has been hosted since 1990 by Ernie Johnson, joined on set by three analysts: Kenny Smith (since 1998), Charles Barkley (since 2000), and Shaquille O'Neal (since 2011). Notable former analysts have included Magic Johnson (2003–2007), Reggie Miller (2008–2011), and Chris Webber (2008–2011).
Since the early 2000s, the show has consistently been rated as among the best sports analysis shows on American television, and over its history has won nineteen Sports Emmy Awards. From the 2025–26 season onwards, the show (along with the pregame edition NBA Tip-Off) airs on selected ABC and ESPN broadcasts, as part of a sub-licensing agreement between parent companies the Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros. Discovery, with the program being produced by Warner Bros. Television Studios under the TNT Sports brand.
History
TNT (1989–2025)
Inside the NBA debuted after TNT acquired the rights to broadcast NBA games during the 1989–90 season. In its first season, there were no permanent hosts or analysts. Craig Sager, Hannah Storm, Vince Cellini, Tim Brando and Fred Hickman shared hosting duties at various points of the season. In the following season, Ernie Johnson Jr., formerly a sideline reporter, took over as the show's full-time host, a role he retains to this day.
Initially, Inside the NBA focused on recaps of the day's games. Occasionally, Johnson invited a former or current NBA player or coach to sit in as a guest analyst. Kenny Smith joined Johnson full-time in 1998.
Newly-retired former NBA All-Star Charles Barkley joined TNT in 2000 and became notorious for his bold, and at times controversial, statements on the air.
In late 2002, Barkley told Kenny Smith that he would "kiss [his] ass" if Houston Rockets then-rookie Yao Ming scored 19 points in a game, which was followed by Yao doing exactly that later that week. As a result, on Listen Up! With Charles Barkley and Ernie Johnson that Thursday, Barkley kissed the rear end of a donkey that Smith brought into the studio. In 2002, a controversial Sports Illustrated cover, in which Barkley was portrayed in chains (as a slave), led to a debate between Smith and Barkley about the merits of the cover.
During the 2000s, TNT added a third analyst alongside Smith and Barkley. Hall of Famer Magic Johnson served as the third analyst between 2003 and 2007, and Reggie Miller and Chris Webber split the role between 2008 and 2011.
Before the 2011–12 season, TNT hired Shaquille O'Neal as a studio analyst. O'Neal's addition led Inside the NBA to add the Shaqtin' a Fool segment, featuring bloopers from around the league.
During the , , and playoffs, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green made occasional appearances on Inside the NBA. In 2022, Green was added to TNT's analyst roster, and would contribute occasionally on the show while still an active player.
The popularity of the program has led the NBA to air reruns of the show (as well as reruns of other TNT NBA studio programs, NBA Tip-Off, the American Express Halftime Report and Game Break) on the TNT Overtime on NBA.com. Analysts from the show, with the notable exception of Barkley, have been featured in the popular NBA 2K video game series beginning with NBA 2K15. Beginning in 2011, the team has also covered the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament as CBS began partnering with Turner for NCAA March Madness.
During the 2021–22 season, Inside the NBA aired after TNT Tuesday games during the NFL regular season and on Thursday nights once football season ends. TNT moved its marquee games to Tuesday in the fall and early winter in order to avoid competition with Thursday Night Football. The postgame shows after TNT Tuesday games, beginning in January, were rebranded as the NBA on TNT Postgame Show, with Adam Lefkoe as host and analysts O'Neal, Candace Parker and Dwyane Wade.
Wade decided not to return to NBA on TNT coverage for the 2022–23 season, choosing to focus on other business interests. Jamal Crawford replaced Wade as an analyst on NBA on TNT Tuesdays.
Prior to the 2022–23 season, Warner Bros. Discovery Sports announced contract renewals for all four of the main Inside the NBA panelists, including a 10-year extension for Barkley that he called "a life-altering deal".
ESPN/ABC (2025–present)
On July 24, 2024, the NBA announced new 11-year broadcasting agreements with ABC/ESPN, NBC, and Amazon Prime Video. TNT parent company Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) attempted to use its backend rights to match the offer made by Amazon, but it was rejected on the basis that WBD did not match the terms offered by Amazon. On July 26, WBD filed its lawsuit against the league in New York state court, seeking to delay the NBA's new 2025 media deals from taking effect and to rule that TNT's offer matched Amazon's deal.
Both parties reached a settlement on November 18, which included an agreement for ESPN to pick up Inside the NBA in conjunction with its own NBA coverage; the program would continue to be produced by TNT Sports from its studios in Atlanta, with no changes in personnel.
The final edition of Inside the NBA on TNT was broadcast on May 31, 2025, following Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals. During the final sign-off, Johnson said: O'Neal and Smith dropped f-bombs during their TNT sign-off, with O'Neal saying:
ESPN announced prior to the 2025–26 season that NBA Tip-Off, halftime coverage, and Inside the NBA would air as part of 20 NBA broadcasts on ESPN and ABC throughout the regular season (with ESPN's own studio show NBA Countdown airing for all other games), beginning with its season-opening doubleheaders on October 22 and 23, and two Wednesday broadcasts on October 29 and November 12, followed by ABC and ESPN's Christmas games. It would then return for selected NBA Saturday Primetime, NBA Sunday Showcase, and ESPN weeknight doubleheaders beginning January 24. Inside the NBA during Saturday Primetime would begin on ABC before moving to the ESPN app for late local news, while only NBA Tip-Off would air for Sunday Showcase. Inside the NBA would air throughout ESPN's coverage of the NBA playoffs, and broadcast from the NBA Finals for the first time in the program's history. The limited number of broadcasts was prompted by TNT Sports, which had been pursuing the development of a new mainstream sports show featuring the Inside the NBA panel; while ESPN "wasn't thrilled" by the decision, it did agree to put most of their broadcasts during the second half of the season to compensate.
ESPN assured that the show would remain relatively unchanged with the move from TNT, with no changes to personnel or format, and also maintaining the exact same on-air presentation and studio with few changes (aside from a rebranding to replace the TNT logo with the ESPN logo where applicable). Its panel has also made self-deprecating jokes regarding the move on-air; during the ESPN premiere, a comedy gag featured Barkley showing a mock schedule of planned appearances on other ESPN shows that included the American Cornhole League and World Axe Throwing League, and a later episode featured a segment mocking ESPN's perceived overemphasis on the Dallas Cowboys in its NFL programming.
Recurring segments
"Shaqtin' a Fool" is a blooper segment started by O'Neal when he joined the show in 2012 that has become popular since. The segment uses CGI to highlight on-court blunders and mistakes from games around the league. Frequent nominees include JaVale McGee, Kendrick Perkins, Nick Young, Otto Porter, Brandon Knight and Jordan Poole, although even All-Stars like LeBron James, Blake Griffin, James Harden, Andre Drummond and Russell Westbrook have been featured.
"Watch Ya Head" is a dunk segment hosted by O'Neal that was introduced when the show moved to ESPN. Every week, O'Neal selects his favorite poster dunks during the week, to which he shouts "1, 2, 3" and the crew replies back with "Watch Ya Head!".
"EJ's Neat-O Stat of the Night" is the traditional ending segment presented by Ernie Johnson, which may feature unusual/humorous stats or a comedy sketch. The segment is sometimes noted for its lack of continued sponsorship ("Presented by NO ONE – Unsullied by sponsorship since 1989"), although Dave & Buster's, Taco Bell, Jim Beam, CarMax, JBL, HP, and EA Sports have sponsored it in the past. Malika Andrews borrowed the name while appearing on Tip-Off part of the Inside collaboration with NBA Countdown during the 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament semifinals and received Johnson's blessing to use the name.
"Who He Play For?" is a start-of-season customary game where Barkley is challenged to name the new teams of a number of NBA journeymen who, perhaps (un)notably, switched teams in the offseason. Stephen A. Smith also played it while appearing on the show as part of the Inside collaboration with NBA Countdown during the 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament semifinals. Additionally, there have been several variations of the game including "How You Say That?", "Who Did He Play For?", "Who He Broadcast For?" (which dealt with offseason moves by NBA commentators to different networks), and "Who He Skate For?" (an NHL-themed version Barkley attempted to conduct with the panel).
"This Week in the NBA" is a recap show of key parts during the season that happen when the show doesn't air. Introduced when the show moved to ESPN, producers Matt "Scoop" Dagostino and Alex Houvouras take viewers across the NBA in a black-and-white film-type highlight and lowlight reel.
"Gone Fishin" is a segment aired whenever a team is knocked out of the playoffs (or a team failed to make the playoffs), and is usually accompanied by doctored photos of players on the team, and notable figures from the team's home city, on fishing boats with analyst Kenny Smith. It has its roots in the 1990s; when the Suns had a chance to eliminate a team, their gorilla mascot would hold a fishing pole to indicate the opponents would be "gone fishin'". The catchphrase has its own page on NBA.com and has also become a metaphor for being eliminated from the playoffs. MLB on TBS uses a similar phrase for when a team gets knocked out of the postseason, called "Gone Huntin", as most North American hunting seasons occur in mid-to-late fall. The NHL on TNT uses a similar phrase for when a team gets knocked out of the postseason, called "Gone Golfin", as most golfing in North America occurs in early-to-late summer.
Former segments "Area 21" was a segment hosted by Kevin Garnett, who joined the show following his retirement before the 2016–17 season. Noted for being more informal and by the presence of a "cuss button" for when Garnett or a guest wants to swear, which has sometimes been left unused.
"Audio Toons" are old conversations and past events, animated by Cartoon Network.
"Players Only" was the name given to the Monday edition between 2017 and 2019, reserved for players-turned-analysts such as Webber, O'Neal, Garnett, Isiah Thomas, Chris Bosh and Baron Davis. WNBA players such as Lisa Leslie and Candace Parker would sit in as analysts for these broadcasts.
Notable moments Some segments of Inside have become famous and are sometimes referenced in callbacks on other episodes, or in other media.
Barkley's race with Dick Bavetta While filling in for an injured Steve Kerr on a Los Angeles Lakers-Sacramento Kings broadcast, Charles Barkley made disparaging comments about the age of referee Dick Bavetta. The conversation between Barkley and play-by-play man Marv Albert eventually led him to comment that he could outrun Bavetta, and any other man of his age (Bavetta was 67 at the time).