‘That’s The Only Two Things We Were Concerned With.’ Charles Barkley Reveals What Won’t Change When Inside The NBA Airs On ESPN

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With the 2025-2026 NBA season fast approaching, ESPN is getting ready to launch the new episodes of *Inside the NBA*. There’s been a lot of talk about the show moving from TNT, and many fans worried it would be different on its new network. Even Charles Barkley, one of the show’s hosts, had some concerns. But now, Barkley is sharing two important things that will stay the same about the program.

Viewers of TNT’s *Inside the NBA*, which has been on air since 1989, recognize its unique atmosphere. Charles Barkley, along with his co-hosts Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O’Neal, understands what makes the show so successful. When the show’s move to a new network was announced, Barkley mentioned that he and Johnson worried about whether the new time slot would be long enough. However, Barkley recently clarified that this won’t be an issue.

They assured us that when our show is on ABC, they won’t require us to hand off coverage to local stations. And when we’re on ESPN, they won’t interrupt us to switch over to SportsCenter. Those were our main concerns, and they’ve addressed them.

According to Sir Charles, the show won’t be cut short to make room for SportsCenter, and the hosts will have freedom when covering games on ABC, regardless of what local stations want. In the past, *Inside the NBA* often ran much longer than scheduled on Thursdays—usually 50 minutes to an hour. Initially, ESPN planned for a 30-minute show, and that still seems to be the plan, though it might not always be stuck to. Barkley shared more details in a recent interview with Heavy.

We typically air our show from 7 PM to 2 AM. We need about 45 minutes to an hour of airtime, as that’s when our audience is most engaged. Our main concern was whether they would move us to SportsCenter or require us to switch to local channels when we’re broadcast on ABC. Those were the only two things we were worried about.

More on Inside the NBA

Stephen A. Smith shared that he had one specific requirement when his show, ‘Inside The NBA,’ moved to ESPN. He stated, ‘That’s what I insisted upon.’

Fans were particularly concerned about the show’s time slot, fearing it would be cut short. Many also worried that ESPN’s frequent commercials would hurt the program. Sports commentator Bill Simmons even predicted the show would suffer because of how ESPN typically schedules its content.

ESPN recently shared a detailed schedule for *Inside the NBA* following Charles Barkley’s comments about the show’s format. The schedule confirms that the show won’t be on every Thursday as fans are used to. While Shaquille O’Neal previously suggested they’d still film one or two episodes a week regularly, it’s still uncertain if that will happen.

Ultimately, fans can find some comfort in Charles Barkley’s predictions about the network’s partners and the fact that *SportsCenter* won’t be rushed. We’ll see how everything unfolds when *Inside the NBA* premieres over two nights on ESPN, October 22nd and 23rd, coinciding with two NBA doubleheaders as part of the 2025 season schedule.

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2025-10-14 15:38