ESPN Expands ‘Inside The NBA’ Schedule For 2026-27 Season
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ESPN Expands 'Inside The NBA' Schedule For 2026-27 Season "Inside the NBA" will have a bigger presence on ABC and ESPN this season. The studio show featuring Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O'Neal will air on 25 nights on ESPN or ABC during the 2026-27 regular season, which marks five more appearances than in its first season after exiting TNT. Seven broadcasts will come before Christmas, up from four over the same stretch last season.
Each night includes a one-hour pregame show, trimmed to 30 minutes for ABC games, and a postgame show after the final game broadcast.
Fans, and Barkley himself, criticized ESPN last season for the show's limited early schedule. The Christmas broadcast was its only appearance between Nov. 12, 2025, and Jan. 24, 2026. This season includes seven appearances in that window.
The 2026-27 campaign could be the last for Barkley and Johnson on the show. Barkley, 63, recently told Bill Simmons he had planned to retire at 60 but agreed to stay for two seasons at Johnson's urging during the network transition.
"I said: 'I love you, man. You're the best. I'll stay,'" said Barkley. "So right now, unless Ernie changes his mind, next year is my last year, 100 percent."
Disney licensed the show as part of a settlement between the NBA and Warner Bros. Discovery after Turner lost its NBA media rights in 2025. TNT continues to produce the program.
“Inside the NBA” will have a bigger presence on ABC and ESPN this season. The studio show featuring Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal will air on 25 nights on ESPN or ABC during the 2026-27 regular season, which marks five more appearances than in its first season after exiting TNT. Seven broadcasts will come before Christmas, up from four over the same stretch last season.
Each night includes a one-hour pregame show, trimmed to 30 minutes for ABC games, and a postgame show after the final game broadcast.
Fans, and Barkley himself, criticized ESPN last season for the show’s limited early schedule. The Christmas broadcast was its only appearance between Nov. 12, 2025, and Jan. 24, 2026. This season includes seven appearances in that window.
The 2026-27 campaign could be the last for Barkley and Johnson on the show. Barkley, 63, recently told Bill Simmons he had planned to retire at 60 but agreed to stay for two seasons at Johnson’s urging during the network transition.
“I said: ‘I love you, man. You’re the best. I’ll stay,'” said Barkley. “So right now, unless Ernie changes his mind, next year is my last year, 100 percent.”
Disney licensed the show as part of a settlement between the NBA and Warner Bros. Discovery after Turner lost its NBA media rights in 2025. TNT continues to produce the program.
