No trade! Charles Barkley‘s message was clear when talks about him moving to any other network picked up. Chuck will not leave TNT. He didn’t and here we are on the opening night with the Inside The NBA crew surrounded by 15,000+ Boston Celtics fans. While they were in delirium on the Ring Night, the hoops community didn’t feel the same while seeing the final series of the Inside The NBA gems on the opening night.

“WE’RE BACK, AMERICA,” the caption read on the NBA On TNT’s post, announcing the beginning of a new season. But the excitement was rather melancholic to many, as the end of a big era also tipped off.

Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith, Ernie Johnson, and Barkley opened the show with a smile on their face, but that only made things worse. The heartache of the fans spread throughout the country. Social media also witnessed the moment and failed to keep itself from crying. Many took to X to show their dismay with the NBA’s decision to chop off the long-standing relationship with TNT, and how they’ll miss their loved crew of Inside The NBA.

Emotional fans flock to social media as Inside The NBA on TNT went live: “We can’t lose…”

“Please don’t take this show away from us, @NBA,” a fan pleaded with Adam Silver’s league. As announced, this will be the final year of TNT having the broadcast right of the NBA. From the 2025/26 season, ABC, ESPN, NBC, Peacock, and Prime Video will have the broadcasting rights. With Barkley making his wish to stick with TNT, there’s no hope of seeing the panelists next season, for now.

Another fan added, “I’m not ready for this year to be the last man”. After the messy legal battle between the league and TNT, a bitter divorce is inevitable. TNT Sports’ lawsuit against Adam Silver and Co. was disputed with claims that the network’s matched offer of the Amazon rights deal was instead a counteroffer that was ‘under obligation’ to be accepted.

However, the NBA reportedly claimed, as per a recent update, that the broadcasting giant ‘improperly’ sought to rewrite several key provisions in the process. But the legal war can roll even up to April next year if disputes don’t get resolved within that time.

“The Last Dance has begun 😢“, a comment read. Few of the fans compared Inside The NBA with Michael Jordan’s famed docuseries. Earnie Johnson’s journey with the TNT goes back to 1989, with Kenny Smith joining in 1998. Barkley joined two years later with Shaq completing the 4-way act in 2011. Many speculated that the new broadcasters will take the crew for a rebranded show, but Barkley’s decision to stay loyal to his employer makes it a very tough task. Smith also showed his support, so the rumors could be put to bed. 

“Man, we can’t lose Inside the NBA with these guys. We just can’t,” a fan wrote, penning his desperate plea. But it’s a bit too late for that. With the breakneck speed of technological advancement, the league is hellbent on moving the majority of the games to streaming platforms. The emphasis on streaming has increased in recent years, with multiple efficient platforms available. “For me at least, I think we will emerge in a very good place,” Adam Silver recently said. “I think coming out of this when we look at the interest of streaming services to carry local games and all the additional functionality that will come to that, there will be a transition and transition for our viewers, as well, in terms of how they discover those games and how they watch them, that I think the end result will be a much better consumer experience.” 

This only showed how the biggest hoops league in the world is approaching the broadcasting roadblock, moving from the days of tele once and for all. And in the process, leave the last shreds of it behind, starting with Inside The NBA.