Next month, Inside the NBA will make its long-awaited debut on ESPN airwaves.
But while the popular studio show might not return until Christmas, it also won’t be hard to find during the second half of the NBA calendar.
Particularly during the playoffs, with ESPN president of content Burke Magnus revealing that Inside the NBA will be a part of the network’s coverage of every 2026 postseason game. Magnus shared the news during an interview with The Athletic’s Richard Deitsch, in which he addressed the backloaded nature of the studio show’s schedule.
“This was a request that Turner made in the sublicensing deal,” Magnus said on Sports Media with Richard Deitsch. “We haven’t finalized this, but you won’t see them a whole lot between opening night and Christmas Day. And that’s by design and at the request of Turner. But we’d rather have them in the back half of the regular season and they’re gonna do literally every playoff night for us through the Finals. So we’re excited about it.”
The ESPN executive also added that NBA Countdown will continue to serve as the network’s studio show on nights in which Inside the NBA is off. Reading between the lines, it sure sounds like the Worldwide Leader is treating Inside the NBA as its A-show, although NBA Countdown were still get plenty of airtime, especially in the first half of the season.
While much has been made — especially by Charles Barkley — about what Inside the NBA will look like on ESPN, Magnus reiterated that the network doesn’t have any desire to touch the show from a creative standpoint. And while we won’t know for another month (if not longer) whether or not ESPN will make good on that promise, the news that the studio show will be a regular part of its postseason coverage will undoubtedly be welcomed by NBA fans everywhere.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.