Charles Barkley And The 'Inside The NBA' Crew Reportedly Headed To ESPN

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We've known for months now that the widely popular ‘Inside The NBA’ show would be coming to an end on TNT, but the crew has reportedly found a new home at ESPN and ABC amid the ongoing NBA media rights scuffle.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Warner Bros., TNT Sports' parent company, has settled its lawsuit against the NBA that was first filed when the league announced its new broadcasting homes of ESPN, NBC and Amazon, leaving TNT on the outside looking in. According to Front Office Sports, the settlement between Warner Bros. and the NBA is expected to be announced this upcoming week.

READ: ESPN, NBC, Amazon Are About To Overpay By Billions For NBA Rights | Bobby Burack

TNT being left out of the NBA mix and the two sides coming together isn't exactly news given its inevitability, but the future of ‘Inside The NBA’ was a bit up in the air.

The studio show featuring Charles Barkley, Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kenny Smith will continue on the four-letter network after a separate deal was worked out between ESPN and Warner Bros. The Wall Street Journal reported that the show will air regularly throughout the season once the new NBA rights package starts during the 2025-26 season.

Charles Barkley and the 'Inside The NBA' crew are headed to ESPN. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

It creates an interesting dynamic for Barkley as he signed a 10-year deal worth more than $200 million with TNT in 2022, but Chuck will reportedly be able to work with the network on other projects while also being a part of the ‘Inside The NBA’s' new adventure.

Disney, ESPN's parent company, is leading the pack in terms of payment for the new NBA media rights deal,  dishing out $2.6 billion annually for the ‘A’ package. NBC will get the ‘B’ package for $2.45 million annually, while Amazon is paying around $1.8 billion to get in on the NBA action beginning next season.

TNT & Warner Bros'. current deal saw them pay $1.2 billion annually for NBA media rights, which clearly indicated the price tag has gone up exponentially.

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.