It’s only getting more complex for the NBA on TNT every day. First, it gets left out of a 35-year partnership, then the NBA rejects its aggressive offer, and now Amazon might be poaching its biggest stars. Additionally, the NBA has made its pick and has chosen Amazon over WBD’s bid. But, while it’s not feasible for TNT to switch to a hybrid streaming format, can Amazon make Inside the NBA work?

Very quickly after the league’s board picked Amazon over TNT, reports emerged that Prime is looking into signing the Inside Guys as a whole. We’ve imagined what that would look like since the bidding war began. But, Charles Barkley‘s recent decision changes a lot. Amazon’s ambition would not mesh with TNT’s old gang.

Amazon might not get an intact crew

Almost instantly after the NBA removed TNT as a definitive competition, Amazon reportedly kicked off an ambitious plan to develop its NBA catalog. It’s going to need an analytical wing to go with its live games and apparently, they aren’t going for NBC’s approach of fresh faces. They’re looking no further than Inside the NBA’s current quartet. With Ernie Johnson as the Godfather since its inception in 1989, this crew has been a staple ever since Shaquille O’Neal joined in 2011.

A Prime Video executive vaguely stated, “Obviously, there’ll be a lot of interest, and we’ll just have to see how that plays out.’’ How it plays out depends on all four or nothing.

The NBA pros-turned-analysts signed 10-year contracts with TNT in 2022 with an out clause in case the network lost the NBA. But the host, Ernie, has a different contract with WBD including his MLB and golf commitments. According to Chuck, Ernie would either retire or continue at TNT irrespective of basketball but going elsewhere is not an option for him. Barkley has taken the former route and declared he’d retire from TNT and would go nowhere else.

That leaves Amazon to pursue Shaq and Kenny, who have shown next to no inclination to jump ship. Let’s face it, Shaq has no shortage of jobs both in and out of media nor he is in need to keep earning a $10 million salary. His admiration for Jeff Bezos is not enough to lure him either. Kenny has been doing this longer than Barkley and he’s hinted at focusing on youth sports outside broadcast.

There’s a reason why fans don’t connect with Shaq’s panel on TNT Tuesday as much as with the Thursday gang. It’s this specific quartet’s chemistry as a whole. Unless Amazon convinces Ernie and Chuck and bring all four on board, the other logistics are the least of their problems.

The format nightmare

Before deciding to retire, Barkley toyed with the idea of continuing Inside the NBA through his production company. But Leonard Armato, Shaq’s ex-agent, exclusively told EssentiallySports that the scale and format of this show cannot be recreated that easily. The show has largely been the same since 1989, going through a rotation of pros, and has been a standard linear format.

Inside the NBA is unscripted madness mixed with the analysts’ provocative opinions, and their ability to connect to the NBA players who call in, mixed in with graphics and throwbacks. Fans’ opinions started reflecting in the era of Twitter/X but it’s not live like a Twitch cast and doesn’t alter the course of an episode. NBC has a better likelihood of recreating it, which is why everyone has questioned Chuck, Shaq, and Kenny if they’d go to NBC or ESPN.

If Amazon is going for something it’s done with the NFL – cutting-edge AI-based analysis – it’s on-air personalities like sideline reporters, color commentators, and analysts who get reduced roles. The Inside Guys though will be the comedic relief if they aren’t talking about basketball in between.

That’s a huge step down for them. Sure they’re natural entertainers but basketball is Shaq, Chuck, and Kenny’s primary identity. As much as fans don’t want Inside the NBA to end, the idea of Amazon continuing makes them very cynical.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us in the exciting pilot episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and SEC All-Freshman Team Selection, Silas Demary Jr.