I Want Inside The NBA’s Schedule On ESPN To Change, And The Network President’s Latest Comments Are Music To My Ears

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Like many basketball fans, I was thrilled when ESPN stepped in to keep Inside the NBA on the air in 2024, making a deal with TNT. Because of that agreement, we’ll still be able to watch Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, and the rest of the crew this fall, even with the new TV season starting. It’s been frustrating that the show is on less often, but the network just announced some good news about that.

Currently, the schedule for the 2025-2026 season of Inside the NBA is set, and the most recent episode aired on November 12th. The show won’t be back until Christmas Day, when Ernie Johnson and the team will cover the holiday games. However, that’s still over a month away, which is frustrating for fans who are used to seeing new episodes every week. ESPN’s Burke Magnus recently explained why there’s been a longer wait between episodes.

We have a limited number of slots to air Inside the NBA during the season. The agreement also stated that most of those broadcasts should happen after January 1st, though I’m not sure why Turner Sports made that request.

Here’s a surprising development: Turner Broadcasting, which has owned the Inside program for years, put a condition in place that’s causing its pauses on ESPN. It seems ESPN, owned by Disney, is currently restricted in how frequently it can air the basketball series. ESPN’s head of content, Magnus, hinted on the SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast that they plan to adjust the show’s schedule in the future.

I’m optimistic that after we finish this first season, we’ll be able to discuss making the schedule more consistent and predictable throughout. We really needed to get things started and build a strong working relationship, which is happening quickly. That foundation will allow us to have productive conversations about improvements for next season.

This update is exactly what I wanted to hear, and the executives’ statements are logical. Initially, ESPN’s biggest task was securing Inside the NBA and creating a basic schedule. Now, they can use this season to test different approaches, analyze viewership numbers, and plan a more robust schedule with additional episodes in the future. Burke Magnus reaffirmed his commitment to improving the schedule, and he clearly understands what fans want.

We understand the current situation isn’t ideal, and we want everyone to know we’re aware of that. We’d prefer a more consistent release schedule throughout the season. We’re exploring options for next year, whether that means producing more episodes overall, or spacing out the current episodes more evenly. We’re confident we’ll find a solution.

Despite the recent challenges, there’s some good news: new episodes of Inside will air more often starting after January 1st. The show will also be broadcast alongside NBA Countdown, which is now mostly without Stephen A. Smith. So far, the move of the show from TNT to ESPN has gone well, and even Charles Barkley has said positive things about the network after initially having some doubts. Hopefully, ESPN can continue to resolve any remaining scheduling issues.

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2025-11-27 00:38