With the start of the 2025-26 season just a few weeks away, fans are buzzing with anticipation for another taste of NBA basketball. However, enthusiasts who know the action beyond the court have been concerned with the loss of Inside the NBA, after TNT lost broadcasting rights following a new TV deal. For decades, the show and its pregame, halftime, and postgame shows have entertained millions and have played a crucial role in connecting viewers to the sport.

Few studio shows in sports history can match the legacy and impact of Inside. Spanning 36 long years, the program has become a cultural icon, blending analysis with unfiltered commentary and humor from some of the sport’s most beloved personalities. It has won 21 Emmy Awards and was even honored by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020, and now, they’re set to return. “‘Inside the NBA,’ with Ernie, Chuck, Shaq & Kenny is coming to ESPN & ABC. Pregame, halftime & postgame shows throughout the Regular-Season, NBA Playoffs & NBA Finals. It all begins October 22 & 23 on ESPN,” a tweet from ESPN PR said, with a schedule attached.

The season marks a new chapter. Inside will air on ESPN and ABC, while being produced by TNT’s Atlanta studios. The show debuts on Wednesday, October 22nd (6-7 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN2) for the season-opening doubleheaders. It will serve as the official pregame, halftime, and postgame coverage through various points in the regular season, as well as the NBA playoffs and the Finals. Fans can expect no changes to the show, except that now it will be integrated with ESPN and ABC’s broadcasting ecosystem.

The pregame show will start airing an hour before tipoff on ESPN and 30 minutes prior on ABC for Saturday Primetime games. Postgame coverage will follow immediately after each match, making sure that fans can catch immediate reactions and insights. The studio show will continue throughout the regular season, on October 23rd and 29th, November 12th, December 25th, January 24th, 28th, and 31st, February 7th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, 27th, and 28th, March 1st, 6th, 7th, 8th, and 14th, and April 12th, with doubleheaders sprinkled throughout the year.

Marquee events, like Christmas Day games, will feature Inside‘s blend of entertainment and analysis. Fans can be sure that the energy will remain the same, and we maintain hope that it will be an essential part of the 2025-26 season’s viewing experience.

The Fallout of TNT’s Digital Purge of Inside the NBA

Over the weekend, the NBA assumed control of NBA TV operations from TNT Sports, resulting in a purge of a wide magnitude of Inside clips, with social media accounts previously dedicated to NBA on TNT now converted to Turner Sports US. Fans all across social media were stunned to lose a mass of stories and fun moments, sparking widespread criticism.

It wasn’t just fans. Rachel DeMita, NBA analyst and wife of former player Andre Roberson, publicly expressed sorrow at the loss of the archives, tweeting, “C’mon they did NOT have to delete everything.. so many classics GONE.” Charles Barkley, one of the hosts, warned that there was a chance that TNT would lose all rights to the content. But no one expected this widespread loss.

Many questioned Turner’s decision to rebrand the former TNT accounts instead of just making new handles for their channels, highlighting how easily the legacy of the iconic show was overlooked.