ESPN Promises 'Inside The NBA' To Remain 'Very Similar To The Way It's Always Been'
ESPN's Burke Magnus confirmed "Inside the NBA" will be on for the pregame, halftime and postgame this season. While the crew will broadcast opening night on ESPN, they will take a hiatus until Christmas Day. They will ramp up their frequency during the second half of the season and broadcast every night during the NBA playoffs.
“That is our goal," said Magnus when asked if the crew will be allowed to broadcast for as long as they did with TNT. "It will be as close to that as we can possibly get. I understand that standard operating procedure for us for many years has been to get to SportsCenter. There’s going to be 200 or 300 nights or so that we’re still going to do that.”
On nights when the “Inside the NBA” crew is not there, Magnus said ESPN will use its “NBA Countdown” crew consisting of Malika Andrews, Bob Myers, Kendrick Perkins and Michael Wilbon, among others.
“(Fans are) going to get the show they love in a way that’s very similar to the way it’s always been,” Magnus said. “It’s still produced in Atlanta by the very same people that produced it for Turner. It’s in their building. Other than a logo on the set, it’s going to appear the same, and that’s exactly what we want.”
"Inside the NBA" was on TNT for 35 years with Ernie Johnson spanning their entire run. Kenny Smith joined in 1998 before Charles Barkley in 2000 and Shaquille O'Neal in 2011. ESPN and TNT reached agreement on a deal to license the show after TNT lost out on retaining its media rights deal with the NBA.
“When these guys are going, we’re going to let them go,” Magnus said. “We have a few more complications than Turner with live events, but we also have more platforms and more networks to deal with. We want the same outcome as the headline here. The equivalent would be if we acquired College GameDay and then said, ‘You know what? We think two hours is better than three.’ None of that is going to happen.”