In its first NBA Finals as the main studio show under the ESPN/ABC banner, Inside the NBA has been at the top of its game.
The iconic program has delivered classic clowning, incisive commentary, and even sharper analysis that it is sometimes criticized for lacking. For ESPN content president Burke Magnus, Inside was the “missing piece” in the network’s basketball coverage, as he told Front Office Sports this week.
Of course, the legendary Finals have given the hosts great fodder for discussion, and being on air every day of the postseason has seemingly helped the panel rediscover the incredible chemistry that drives them. Magnus praised the show for firing on all cylinders with little to no feedback from ESPN, stating again that the Worldwide Leader hasn’t “meddled” with the TNT Sports-produced Inside at all.
However, after publicly stating last week that he hoped to see Inside air more frequently early in the season this upcoming fall, Magnus revealed more detail about why that didn’t happen last year.
“Phase 2, as far as I’m concerned, is to try to get [scheduling] more balanced,” Magnus told FOS. “That’s on the to-do list for next season.”
Per FOS’ summary of Magnus’ comments, TNT was apparently trying to launch a long-rumored show featuring the Inside stars that would have covered multiple sports across the network’s portfolio. While ESPN was seemingly surprised by the last-minute change and “wasn’t thrilled,” per FOS, it agreed to backload the schedule and take the hosts when they could get them.
Of course, a variety sports show never came to pass at TNT, and Inside has settled back into a great groove once it finally got time to gel down the stretch at ESPN.
It is no surprise that Magnus wants to book the show more often next year. ESPN has increasingly paid up to hire or partner with competitors as it assembles more championship events and tries to evolve into the digital age.
“Having to compete with the best that there’s ever been is a tall order for anybody,” Magnus said of Inside. “Being able to bring them over, and add them to our game coverage, which I believe is at an extremely high level, has just made us that much better. It has seamlessly come on board where it feels very comfortable for everybody involved.”
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.