Ball Around

Charles Barkley Takes Shot at ESPN Ahead of 'Inside the NBA' Move

Matt Levine

Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The popular NBA show Inside the NBA will be moving to ESPN once the new NBA rights deal is finalized. The powerhouse network was able to strike a deal to keep the rights to the show alive, giving fans more of what they want.

Inside the NBA has been among the most watched sports shows on television, with the hosts being the stars. Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O’Neal will all continue their run together barring any unforeseen issues that may come up.

But ahead of the move over to ESPN next year, Barkley couldn't help but make a joke at the expense of the longtime network. During a show earlier this week on TNT, Barkley cracked a joke with Smith, saying that the guys will have to "go back to kissing ass" on ESPN.

"Times have changed, Kenny. We gotta go back to kissing ass."

Barkley has never been one to shy away from making his feelings known and he has been heavily opposed to this move. The former NBA star called out the league over the summer for being too greedy and not caring about the fans.

"Well, I think that you got greedy players and greedy owners,'' Barkley said today. "They don't really care about anything but how to make the most money possible. We should never put money above the regular fan. Everybody can't afford streaming. There's nothing wrong with streaming, but when you start just going to the highest bidder and you're not on regular television, I think you do a disservice to the fan. But in fairness, the players want to make as much money as possible. The owners want to make as much money as possible. But ... the fan's always the most important thing. No matter how much money you make, if the people are not watching, it's a lose-lose proposition.''

Regardless of what Barkley is thinking, the show will be moving over to ESPN. According to ESPN President Burke Mangus, the network isn't planning to change things up.

“They’re going to produce it, and that’s exactly what we want,” Magnus said on the podcast. “Of course we’re not going to change the show,” Magnus added. “Why would we take something so successful and so iconic, bring it over and then be like, ‘We know better, we’re gonna change it.’”

Fans will get to see Inside the NBA on TNT for the remainder of this season before it moves over. But once it does, it'll be interesting to see just how vocal Barkley and the others are regarding different issues.

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Matt Levine
MATT LEVINE

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