Move aside Kylian Mbappé, Real Madrid has made its biggest signing of the summer! While TNT is still battling to retain the Inside Guys after losing the NBA rights, it seems Kenny Smith found a different sport to indulge in. And it’s clear from the former NBA star’s recent Instagram post that clouds of uncertainty looming over Inside the NBA have failed to curb his excitement for new endeavors.

Smith recently signed a one-day contract with Real Madrid in New York City. And he wasn’t alone. The signed athletes, including 2x Super Bowl champion Justin Tuck, practiced with the coaches of the club and the other athletes who showed up. The players also received their own Real Madrid kit ahead of the match against Barcelona last weekend.

Seemingly, it was just this one game as a part of the one-day contract with the soccer club. “Thank you to Abbott and Ensure for the opportunity to train like the best soccer team in the world… Looking forward to rooting for the club this season,” the 2x NBA champ captioned his IG post. It also featured Kenny Smith’s photo, holding his own jersey number 30 — the same that he donned in the NBA.

Some other athletes that became a part of this short-lived Real Madrid contract included marathon runner Rob Dalto, and former NFL stars Justin Tuck, Vernon Davis, and Torry Holt. “We learned more about Abbott’s nutritional products like @ensure Max Protein,” Holt captioned his IG post.

Notably, the nutritional supplement and meal replacement brand — Ensure — is manufactured by Abbott Laboratories, the sponsor of this whole event. From what it seems, the whole thing turned out to be a much-needed break for Smith this summer, who has seen his beloved NBA on TNT lose a lot of ground in the NBA TV rights battle.

Kenny Smith still has hope left with TNT’s Inside the NBA

In the most recent update into the whole issue, an article by Front Office Sports stated, “During an analyst call Wednesday, TNT parent Warner Bros. Discovery remained positive it can retain its 40-year rights relationship with the NBA. Or even squeeze out a smaller, face-saving, fourth game package.” Turner Sports has claimed in its lawsuit that the NBA is contractually obliged to give them the rights if they matched Amazon’s offer.

However, even if for once TNT loses its NBA rights, reports suggest the network still plans on continuing with the framework of Inside the NBA. The rumors have gotten stronger after Charles Barkley’s recent announcement of remaining with TNT even upon the NBA contract’s expiry.

The potential options as of now seem to be to focus on other sports that TNT still has rights to. Some of these include hockey, college football, and college basketball. A risk worth taking, considering the versatility and entertainment value of the Inside the NBA cast. All that remains for the final cards to be revealed is TNT and NBA’s legal battle’s outcome.

Stay tuned for more such updates. And join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.