TNT Sports is preparing for another alternate telecast for this year’s NBA All-Star Game. Instead of going with the traditional Inside the NBA crew, though, the company will be pairing Charles Barkley with Draymond Green to deliver the compliment to the traditional broadcast.
Barkley and Green’s alternate telecast will be hosted by Taylor Rooks and have live reporting from the court from TNT analyst Jamal Crawford. The alternate telecast will air on truTV while the main telecast will be on TNT and TBS. Both broadcasts will also be streaming on Max. Another current player, Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics, will be an analyst for the three-point shootout on the main telecast.
Via Richard Deitsch at The Athletic:
Green and Barkley will team up for an NBA All-Star Game ALTCAST on Sunday, which can be viewed on truTV and Max. The telecast will be hosted by Taylor Rooks and also features Jamal Crawford as a roaming reporter from the sidelines. Crawford will facilitate players interacting with Barkley and Green. The main All-Star Game telecast will be simulcast on TNT, TBS & Max; truTV and Max. Tipoff time for the game is 8 p.m. ET.
The alternate telecast is nothing new, but it’s fascinating that TNT Sports is employing Draymond Green after his extensive suspension this season and the many issues that the Golden State Warriors star has been dealing with. Green has done work off and on for TNT throughout the past few years and it looked like he had a future in the industry as a very outspoken superstar, multiple-time championship winner, and podcast host. However, the controversy that has followed him for his outbursts on the court certainly risks throwing away that future.
Barkley himself called out Green’s antics during a debate on the Inside the NBA set, which means their pairing could contain some fireworks for this altcast. Perhaps TNT Sports is hoping that Green and Barkley will provide some viral moments and needle each other to provide the entertainment factor for the altcast. And it’s completely possible that the network is hoping this is the first step towards Green rehabilitating his image and his potential future media career.
