For years, Inside the NBA stood as TNT’s crown jewel, delivering its unique blend of basketball analysis and humor to fans across the globe. The iconic show’s chemistry—anchored by Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Shaquille O’Neal, and Charles Barkley—was a cultural phenomenon that transcended sports. However, a heated feud between TNT and the NBA over broadcasting rights threatened its future. That battle is no longer needed. Turns out, Inside the NBA has now found a new home leaving fans buzzing with excitement—and raising some eyebrows.

The new home that ‘Inside the NBA‘ found is ESPN. During a recent Nightcap episode on YouTube, Shannon Sharpe shed light on the behind-the-scenes wrangling. The settlement was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. Even though the show will air on ESPN and on ABC beginning with the 2025-26 season, TNT Sports will still produce the show and it will be from Atlanta except for Inside the NBA going on the road and Ernie Johnson Jr, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O’Neal will all stay on with the show.

However, not everything is going down well as with this shift, some past ghosts have also returned. One of them is Chuck’s words about ESPN and its operating methods. During an interview with ESPN Cleveland’s “The Really Big Show,” in May, Barkley had made it clear that he was not going to be a part of ESPN if TNT loses NBA rights. “They’re not gonna work me like a dog,” Barkley said.

“ESPN Radio, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes. I mean H-LL NO! As much as I love ESPN, I just turned 61. The notion that I’m going to be working like a dog into my mid-60s, that’s definitely not going to happen,” said Barkley during the interview.

The good thing about this deal for Charles Barkley is that TNT still holds contractual power, so he won’t be “working like a dog.”

A big shift in sports media dynamics may be taking place inside the NBA’s reportedly new deal with ESPN. An integral part of TNT’s programming since 1989, the show has collected 19 Sports Emmy Awards and redefined sports commentary with its unscripted, real approach. Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith have great chemistry with Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley, and there have been many memorable moments between them that stayed outside of basketball.

However, this transition has sparked heated debates in social media comment sections, with fans calling out what they perceive as hypocrisy from Barkley. Time to see what the fans have to say.

Fans are not happy with Charles Barkley’s past comments

The announcement of Inside the NBA’s move to ESPN brought a wave of excitement to basketball fans eager to see the iconic show continue However, the joy wasn’t universal. A significant segment of fans quickly turned their attention to Charles Barkley, whose past criticism of ESPN has now come back to haunt him.

Fans were quick to point out the elephant in the room and spared no moment in criticizing Sir Charles, with one fan commenting,“Chuck said he ain’t going to ESPN, “they ain’t working me like a dog…ESPN, espn 2, espn deportes…”. LMAO.”

This was not all, another follower said, “Damn surprised Charles agreed to work with espn because he said he doesnt want to be overworked to be underpaid.”

Over the years we have seen how money-oriented Chuck is. Take the time as an example when Barkley shared the story of how Michael Jordan had helped him with advice to take a million from his Nike deal and invest the rest into stocks. This ultimately had proven to be beneficial for the Sixer’s icon, helping him to earn 10x the original amount.

Fans were quick to point out the nature of Barkley with one user writing, “Money talks, Charles said it himself😂😂,” and another one writing, “Chuck full of sh-t! He chasing $ like I knew he would!!”

However, while others were busy criticizing Sir Charles, one fan took the moment to show his appreciation for the show. “GREAT NEWS….. !!Best NBA CAST EVERRRRRRRRRRRRRR…. There will be some jobs lost for this BIG ONE,” said the fan.

Ultimately, Inside the NBA’s move to ESPN represents both continuity and change. The show’s magic lies in its unscripted, unpredictable nature—qualities that fans hope won’t be watered down by the ESPN machine.