The National Basketball Association is closing in on multi-billion dollar deals for the future TV rights to its games. Once those deals are finalized, NBA games on Turner Sports and the beloved show “Inside the NBA” will come to an end after the 2024-’25 season.
“Inside the NBA” launched on TNT in November 1989 and has become one of the most popular sports shows in recent years. The combination of Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Ernie Johnson has formed a quarter that the basketball world has fallen in love with.
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Unfortunately for NBA fans, that run is poised to come to an end. While ESPN is renewing its TV rights deal with the league, TNT and Turner Sports are poised to lose the broadcasting rights to NBA games following the 2024-’25 season.
NBCUniversal is bringing back the NBA, on the verge of agreeing to a deal with the league to pay more than $2 billion annually for the “B” package of NBA games beginning with the 2025-’26 season. Amid anger from NBA fans and players, it appears comments made by Warner Bros. Discovery executive David Zaslav play a massive role in losing access to the NBA.
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Why is Inside the NBA ending?
When Warner Bros. and Discovery merged in 2022, Zaslav told investors “We don’t have to have the NBA” when asked about the negotiations with the league. The comments raised eyebrows at the time, with many believing that Zaslav damaged the relationship with the NBA.
Barkley, whose contract allows him to leave TNT and Turner Sports if Warner Bros. Discovery loses its NBA broadcasting rights, has been very critical of the company’s executives. He’s among those who believe Zaslav’s comments screwed things up with the NBA.
“The people I work with, they’ve screwed this thing up, clearly. When we merged, that’s the first thing our boss. We don’t need the NBA.’ Well, he don’t need it, but … we need it. So it just sucks right now.”
Charles Barkely on TNT likely losing NBA games, past comments by David Zaslav (via Philadelphia Inquirer)
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Barkley was right. According to John Ourland of Puck.news, NBA commission Adam Silver “has been irked” by Zaslav ever since his comments about not needing the NBA in 2022. Furthermore, Zaslav and executive Luis Silberwasser reportedly “whined about the cost” they had to pay for NBA games.
That cost, according to Lucas Shaw of Bloomberg, was $200 million. Warner Bros. Discovery, which has been an NBA broadcasting partner with the NBA for 35 years through Turner Sports, hasn’t shown a willingness to match its competitor’s offer. NBCUniversal offered $2.5 billion for its NBA rights package, whereas Warner Bros. Discovery has held at $2.3 billion.
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While the NBA might give them one last opportunity to match, it’s assumed that Warner Bros. Discovery won’t do so thus allowing NBC to take over as the NBA’s second broadcasting partner. If the deals are finalized, next season will be the last time fans get to enjoy “Inside the NBA” as we know it.