1. It wasn’t exactly a final farewell; rather, it was more of a “see you soon.” Nevertheless, basketball enthusiasts were eager to see how Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O’Neal would conclude their tenure on TNT.
Saturday’s episode of Inside the NBA, which was the last to be broadcast on TNT before the show transitions to ESPN next season, attracted an audience of 3.5 million viewers.
To put that viewership figure into context, especially considering the broadcast was after 11 p.m. ET on a Saturday night:
– The Western Conference finals game between the Thunder and Timberwolves had an average viewership of 5.5 million.
– CBS’s broadcast of the final round of the Memorial Tournament on Sunday attracted 3.06 million viewers.
– The Yankees vs. Dodgers game on ESPN Sunday drew 2.73 million viewers.
– The NHL’s Western Conference finals featuring the Oilers and Stars averaged 1.5 million viewers.
– The NHL’s Eastern Conference finals between the Panthers and Hurricanes attracted an average of 1.4 million viewers.
2. During a mid-April appearance on SI Media With Jimmy Traina, Charles Barkley disclosed that he, along with Johnson, Smith, and O’Neal, were involved in filming a pilot for TNT.
Although Inside the NBA is set to move to ESPN next season, the foursome is still under contract with TNT, which is looking to develop a new sports show featuring them.
Barkley detailed the pilot in a discussion with Dan Patrick on Wednesday, and the feedback was not positive.
“We taped a pilot about a month ago, and it was the dumbest thing I’ve ever been a part of,” Barkley commented.
“If they’re being realistic, we might only be on ESPN a third to half of the time. Meanwhile, they’re trying to push this nonsensical idea at TNT, which is foolish for a few reasons. Primarily, we won’t have access to basketball highlights. Plus, we’d likely be competing with an NBA game broadcast on another network such as Amazon, ESPN, or NBC. And no true basketball fan is going to switch off a live NBA game to watch us four talking about nothing substantial.”
“It’s a complex situation. As I mentioned, we shot a pilot doing foolish activities, and honestly, it was just ridiculous. I would not want to continue in that manner.”
“We taped a pilot about a month ago, and it was the dumbest thing I’ve ever been a part of.”
– Charles Barkley on the concept for Inside the NBA on TNT, despite lacking NBA footage rights. pic.twitter.com/bdZwOza2Nn
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) June 2, 2025
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