The iconic studio show Inside the NBA has a sparse early-season presence on ESPN, appearing only once, and then disappearing for over two months.
According to ESPN’s advance listings, Inside the NBA, produced by TNT and hosted by Ernie Johnson Jr., Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O’Neal, is slated for a half-hour postgame slot on October 22, immediately following the first NBA doubleheader of the season. It will air from 12:05 a.m. to 12:35 a.m. ET, leading into a conventional SportsCenter episode from Bristol.
This truncated 30-minute format marks a significant departure from the show’s usual 40 to 50-minute runtime, which has rarely dipped below that threshold in recent years.
Following that Opening Week appearance, Inside the NBA is conspicuously absent from ESPN’s regular programming schedule, not expected to return until Christmas Day. That amounts to a nearly two-month hiatus, spanning from around October 23 to December 24, during which the show will be on ice.
As one source put it: “two months and three days, to be exact”.
This unusual schedule isn’t ESPN’s whim, it reflects the confines of the licensing deal between Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD)/TNT and ESPN/ABC, effective starting with the 2025–26 NBA season.
Under this agreement, Inside the NBA will appear only during designated marquee events:
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Opening Week
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Christmas Day
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NBA Playoffs & Conference Finals
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NBA Finals
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All ABC games after January 1
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The final week of the regular season
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And other marquee live events
In essence, outside of big-ticket moments, the show won’t be part of the normal weekly broadcast rotation.
The 2025–26 NBA season marks a transitional phase for Inside the NBA: a high-profile but limited presence on ESPN, with only sporadic appearances during marquee broadcast windows. The format shift and calendar gaps highlight how broadcasting dynamics have changed, even for one of the most beloved studio shows in sports history.
