The future of Inside the NBA after 2025 is still dicey. Charles Barkley is apparently determined to retire irrespective of whether TNT retains NBA or not. The others have stayed quiet on any professional shifts. And Warner Bros Discovery is still negotiating a different NBA media package. But we’re not ready to let go of the show that became a staple of basketball viewing in 35 years. As TNT has reportedly matched Amazon’s 11-year-deal, fans are rooting for Turner. The Inside fandom have turned it into an online campaign to keep Chuck, Shaq, Kenny, and Ernie on TV longer and are relying on some big names to do it.

The #KeepNBAonTNT campaign drew the best moments from Inside Story, the docuseries on Inside the NBA, to highlight what makes the Emmy-winning show irreplaceable. This series featured some of the biggest names in entertainment and sports like Michael Ealy, Kenan Thompson, Quavo, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Mark Cuban, Steph Curry, and Magic Johnson.

Before Shaquille O’Neal became a fixture on Inside the NBA in 2011, his mentor Magic Johnson was an analyst beside Chuck and Kenny. So he enjoys the show as a viewer now because of his former colleague and Dream Team buddy. “The best thing on TV is Charles Barkley bar none. There’s nobody on TV in sports better than Charles Barkley. That’s why it’s the best on TV.” Maybe Magic can get Chuck to cancel retirement.

Maybe drawing from his own time on the show, he adds, “‘We can poke fun at each other, we can clown each other, we can have a good time with the banter back and forth. But at the end of the day, it’s all for the fans, it’s all for the audience. And I think that’s why the ratings are so high. They just keep getting better and better every single year.”

Fans even used Shaq’s favorite player, Steph Curry. He considered it an honor that O’Neal granted him immunity from Shaqtin a Fool moments (Shaq’s lying, he’s Shaqtin-ed Curry many times). But he repeated that these segments are why the show is so loved by fans. “Most people look forward to the post-game show as much as actually watching the game. And I think for me, as a fan of basketball, even when I’m not out on the court playing, I’m sitting on the couch watching, you look forward to the jokes and the back-and-forth, races to the big screen with Kenny and all that. It just adds an element of entertainment.”

We can’t imagine NBA game without Shaqtin a Fool or Racing Kenny to the Board for the halftime report either. Which made fans hopeful after TNT’s latest move.

TNT targets Amazon for NBA

The NBA was a step away from finalizing the new media rights set up of 11 years worth $76 billion with ESPN, Amazon, and NBC. Just when we thought TNT was out of the running, reports emerged this week that the network is using its matching rights to retain the NBA. In a statement, TNT Sports declared it will be matching one of its competitior’s deal to pay $1.8 to 2.2 billion annually to the league – a steep increase from the previous $1.2 billion.

Though Amazon wasn’t exclusively mentioned in the statement, it is known to be an obvious choice. “We have reviewed the offers and matched one of them,” TNT’s statement read. The deal is reportedly under review and fans were hopeful on social media but it’s still premature to celebrate. League insiders claim that the NBA intends to stick to the new arrangement. This could set the grounds for a legal battle between Turner and the league.

TNT and Inside fans have a battle on their hands to keep Shaq, Chuck, Kenny, and Ernie on the show. We have to wait and see how that turns out.