TNT seems fully committed to continuing its iconic Inside the NBA show despite losing NBA media rights, and Kenny Smith said Wednesday he thinks the rebooted show can “make television history.”
That’s a bold claim, given no one, from Smith to colleague Charles Barkley to sports media insiders, has any idea what that reimagined Inside the NBA would look like without the NBA. Then there’s the possibility the show might move to another network.
Smith appeared on The Matt Thomas Show on Houston’s SportsTalk 790 to discuss the show’s uncertain future after the 2024-25 season.
Thomas set the tone early, noting, “Inside the NBA is the greatest television program in the history of sports.” He then asked Smith that mystifying “What’s next?” question.
“It’s interesting,” Smith said. “I’ve been all over the world, man, and I hear that same question. I’ve been to Abu Dhabi. I’ve been to Europe. I’ve been to Miami. I’ve been to New York. They’re like, ‘What’s going on with the show?’ Everyone asks me that same exact question.”
Charles Barkley was asked the same question in a recent appearance on The Dan Patrick Show and bluntly said, “I have zero idea what we’re going to do.” Smith didn’t have any specific insight but is bullish on the show’s success in its new iteration—whether at TNT or elsewhere.
“For me, I feel a little bit like LeBron (James), his year when you got to eventually make an announcement. ‘We’re taking our talent to…’ “And if it’s with WBD, which is Turner, TNT, that would be fine,” Smith said. “But if it’s somewhere else, I think the one thing that the four of us have, and I don’t take this lightly, this is really serious. We have the opportunity, collectively, if we move collectively, to create one of the most monumental sports movements in sports television history, where we can make sure that the producers, directors, stats, audio, visual, everyone is still employed.”
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“Before, we’re just really highly paid talent,” Smith continued. “We have an opportunity, possibly through all of the calls that I’m getting, to make television history again. And that, to me, is more important to make sure that the people that really helped us get to where we are are still part of that.”
At a time when Barkley said spirits have been sagging at TNT, Smith’s optimism is a sign of hope.
