For anyone still doubting Inside the NBA’s future on ESPN, Ernie Johnson assures that the show will continue as usual. Johnson joined The Dan Patrick Show Wednesday morning to discuss the Inside the NBA crew’s (minus Shaquille O’Neal) annual transition to NCAA Tournament coverage every March. Near the end of the interview, Patrick inquired about Johnson’s future beyond this season, asking, “Are you following everybody?” in an effort to confirm that Johnson would reunite with Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O’Neal when Inside the NBA moves to ESPN next season.
“Yeah, this is the plan,” Johnson responded. “We’re gonna continue to do the show. It just won’t air on TNT since the NBA on TNT is no more after these playoffs. However, we’ll still do the show in Atlanta, with the same production crew; it will just air on ABC/ESPN on certain nights.”
Patrick acknowledged that the show’s future appeared “shaky” for a while and questioned whether Johnson would have remained on Inside the NBA had it moved out of Atlanta. “No,” Johnson replied without hesitation. “That’s home. Look, I can kinda see the finish line…I can’t wait for next year, can’t wait to stay with the guys, and then we’ll just see what comes up in the years after that and what I feel like doing.”
The show’s future faced uncertainty over the past year, especially when Barkley criticized his TNT Sports bosses for mishandling the network’s relationship with the NBA. Speculation arose about the show’s potential revival on a different network or platform, and whenever relocation was discussed, it was clear that Johnson was not keen on leaving Atlanta. Fortunately, a licensing agreement with ESPN appears to have saved the show, with both ESPN and TNT Sports insisting that the only changes would be the night and channel of airing. Despite some skepticism from fans regarding ESPN’s hands-off approach—Barkley often being one of the skeptics—there remains a palpable trust in Ernie Johnson.
