'Inside the NBA' Set to Air on ESPN and ABC Under New NBA Agreement
The quartet of Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny “The Jet” Smith, Charles “Chuck” Barkely and Ernie Johnson will stay on our television screens even though “Inside the NBA” will no longer be airing on TNT. We discuss it here!
Shaquille O’Neal, Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley on “Inside the NBA.” (TNT sports)
Photo Cred: TNT
By: Joshua Martin
The popular studio show will now appear on ESPN and ABC at the beginning of the 2025-2026 NBA season. This news comes after a settlement between Warner Bros. Discovery and the NBA was finalized early Monday morning. TNT Sports will continue to produce the show and it will air from Atlanta, except for when the show goes on the road.
“Inside the NBA” is expected to air during key moments on the league’s calendar, including opening week, Christmas Day games, Saturday night primetime games during the second half of the season, the playoffs and the NBA Finals.
“The opportunity to continue the iconic and Emmy Award-winning ‘Inside the NBA’ is a huge win for basketball fans everywhere. We look forward to building on our longstanding partnership with TNT Sports and working together to promote NBA content across key WBD and NBA platforms. ”
The new settlement gives TNT Sports, Bleacher Report and House of Highlights a global license for NBA content with no rights fee for the next 11 years. Warner Bros. Discovery will also continue its relationship with the league’s digital operations, including NBA.com, for five more seasons. Even though TNT Sports will not be airing games in the United States beginning next season, it does have rights to air a full package of games in select countries, including Latin America (excluding Brazil and Mexico), Poland, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.
“Together these agreements ensure fans will continue to enjoy TNT’s ‘Inside the NBA’ and create tremendous value for our entire portfolio as we accelerate the growth of TNT Sports, Bleacher Report, House of Highlights and our global sports business. We are pleased to partner with the NBA and Disney/ESPN, and to have solidified long-term rights and revenue for WBD.”
“Inside the NBA” started in 1989, the same year TNT started broadcasting NBA games. Barkley joined the show in 2000 while O’Neal came aboard during the 2011-2012 season. The humor and insight the NBA legends bring to the game of basketball has made the program a fan favorite and the recipient of 21 Emmy awards since its inception.
ESPN will continue to produce “NBA Countdown” and “NBA Today,” which will continue to run during the network’s regular season NBA coverage. Malika Andrews will continue to host both programs.
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Shannon Sharpe set to join 'First Take'
NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe makes a bold move, joining 'First Take' alongside Stephen A. Smith for lively sports debates, marking a significant shift in the sports media landscape. We discuss it here!
Shannon Sharpe
Source: Hbcugameday.com
By: Joshua Martin
Many fans have been wondering where the outspoken NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe would land after his less than harmonious exit from FX1’s Undisputed alongside Skip Bayless. Sharpe decided to end his partnership with Bayless in June after the NBA Finals. Now per reports, the sports personality will sit across the debate desk against Stephen A. Smith twice a week on the hit sports debate show ‘First Take.’
This is honestly a full circle moment for Sharpe, as it was his guest appearances on the show with Bayless back when it aired on ESPN2 that a partnership between the two would be fruitful.
Smith has publicly expressed his interest in the two partnering up but mentioned Shannon has yet to sign on the dotted line..
Addressing the recent @ShannonSharpe “news” pic.twitter.com/eVe266Ps9d
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) August 18, 2023
He also stated that the two would be a great pairing because of his debate skills saying that it would make them both better.
“Iron sharpens iron, we elevate one another. When it comes to television, when it comes to being in front of a microphone or a camera, I’m not taking a back step to any-damn-body.”
Sharpe’s official debut on the show is still unknown but he is expected to be on the show on Mondays and Wednesdays throughout the football season. If that coincides with the NFL regular season, it could see him make an appearance on Sept. 11th.
Sharpe is also expected to soon find a home for his podcast ‘Club Shay Shay’
Shannon Sharpe podcast ‘Club Shay Shay’
Sharpe was a three-time Super Bowl champion and four-time All-Pro during a Hall of Fame NFL career with the Broncos and Ravens.
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Michael Oher Challenges False Adoption Story from 'The Blind Side'
Michael Oher's 14-page petition alleges that Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy earned over $300 million from the Oscar Award-winning movie, while he received nothing for a story that depended on him. We discuss it here!
On NFL draft day in 2009, Michael Oher is pictured holding a Baltimore Ravens jersey alongside members of the Tuohy family. (GettyImages)
By: Adonis Armstrong
Michael Oher, the NFL star whose purported adoption by an prosperous white Memphis family became the basis for the 2009 film ‘The Blind Side,’ has alleged that the narrative was fabricated. As per a petition submitted in the Shelby County Probate Court on August 14th, Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, who welcomed Oher into their home during his high school years, allegedly never legally adopted him. Oher claims they deceived him into signing a document that granted them conservatorship, providing them legal control over his business transactions.
The 14-page document, acquired by ESPN, outlined that the Tuohy family leveraged their conservatorship authority to secure a deal resulting in over $300 million for themselves and their biological children from the highly successful Oscar-winning movie. In contrast, Oher, the individual at the core of the narrative, received no compensation for a story "that hinged on his existence." The petition further revealed that even years after the movie's release, the Tuohys continued to refer to the now 37-year-old Oher as their adopted son, utilizing this status to advance their ventures, including Leigh Anne's roles as an author and motivational speaker.
“The lie of Michael’s adoption is one upon which co-conservators Leigh Anne Tuohy and Sean Tuohy have enriched themselves at the expense of their Ward, the undersigned Michael Oher,” the contents of the court document state. “Michael Oher discovered this lie to his chagrin and embarrassment in February of 2023, when he learned that the conservatorship to which he consented on the basis that doing so would make him a member of the Tuohy family, in fact provided him no familial relationship with the Tuohys.”
Adapted from Michael Lewis' 2006 book of the identical title, ‘The Blind Side’ movie recounts the journey of a homeless African American teenager who defied his disadvantaged background to achieve NFL success, aided by his adoptive parents. The film features performances by Sandra Bullock in the role of Leigh Anne, Tim McGraw as Sean, and Quinton Aaron portraying Oher. This sports drama achieved remarkable acclaim, amassing $309 million in box office revenue against a $29 million budget.
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NFL Draft: ESPN Romanticizes Black Athletes' Tragedies On The Biggest Stage
The NFL draft was full of stories of overcoming adversity, but why does ESPN choose to romanticize the tragedies of Black athletes on the biggest stage? We discuss it here!
By: Baigen Seawell
With the constant news of the global pandemic, the NFL Draft was our escape…something to let us forget the craziness that was going on around us. But what’s up with all of the morbid backstories?
We start with Tua Tagovailoa, who struggled with injuries throughout his college career at Alabama. This started conversation on whether or not Miami would pass up on another QB opportunity like they did Drew Brees over two decades before.
The story of overcoming adversity made for a great narrative, we loved to see it.
But then it got weird…
The first comment I picked up on was at the 11th pick overall: Mekhi Becton, a 6’7” OT from from Louisville. The announcers pointed out his speed, size, followed up with a comment discussing his weight being linked to his mother’s occupation of catering in soul food.
This remark was insensitive, but wasn’t nearly as eye opening as the talking points that would follow.
Car accidents, coronavirus, conduct violations, drug addiction, ESPN and the NFL made it a point to highlight the tragic upbringing of as many prospects as possible, and nearly all of them were black.
At the close of the draft, there were over 20 tragic backstories from athletes. It would be posted at the bottom of athletes’ stat line like a trivial fun fact, and shock value would transform to desensitization.
But why are tragic backstories so clickbait?
THERE’S BEAUTY IN THE STRUGGLE
J. Cole said it best: “There’s beauty in the struggle.” The “Rags-to-Riches” story is as old as time. Tragedy and struggle are socially and psychologically linked and ingrained in media’s culture. A sense of satisfaction rushes over us when we see someone who faced so much hardship to achieve their goals.
Struggle brings more traffic to a story than privilege, especially in sports; we find interest in the rise, fall and rise again of a Vick over the streamline of a Manning or Rodgers. Though the latter faced some minor conflicts through their careers, the former has a much harrowing tale that becomes something that can have a full docuseries created around it.
Black athletes in particular face adversity regularly on their road to the top, and after the goal is met. Criticism from analysts, financial hardships, and on and off the field conduct add onto their troubled past. For them, it becomes fuel to go harder, and prove critics wrong, for mainstream media, it becomes an irresistible story, no matter how minor
This isn’t ESPN’s first time glamorizing tragedy; reporter Mina Kimes’ most popular story is DeAndre Hopkins’s mother, who was an exotic dancer, drug dealer, and finally, gruesomely faced an assault from her then-boyfriend’s mistress. It became one of the most talked about backstories in 2019, despite him Watson being in the league for six years already.
The Jerry Jeudys, Kristian Fultons and Jordan Loves were sprinkled with stories of tragedy, which overshadowed the largest success that they met for the night: being drafted by a league that only drafts less than five percent of the draft eligible population. Lest we forget where we came from on the way, but it’s not 100 percent of our makeup.
These men are more than their backstories, they’re not pinned to their stats on the field or their upbringing. There’s an importance of highlighting the successes and aspirations they have moving forward. Though tragedy makes a good backstory, triumph and continued success makes for something with a much better shelf life.
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Jemele Hill: Public Enemy Number One
Jemele Hill, America’s biggest sports villain outside of Colin Kaepernick. Call her what you want, some may say hero, some may say she’s race baiting, but nonetheless she has caught the eyes of some of America’s most powerful people.
It takes a lot of courage to speak out in a public platform and express your political beliefs. But with great power comes greater responsibility. In a time where political expression and racial discussion have become touchy subjects, you almost have to tip toe around what to say in the media. In a time where people are becoming fed up with racial issues and are ready for change (or not), the effects of disunity have spilled over into one of America’s most unifying mediums; the sports world. That leaves us with Jemele Hill, America’s biggest sports villain outside of Colin Kaepernick.
Call her what you want, some may say hero, some may say she’s race baiting, but nonetheless she has caught the eyes of some of America’s most powerful people. When the President takes time out of his “busy” schedule to personally tweet about you (you know, the same schedule that should have him occupied with North Korea, Puerto Rico and Houston), then you know you've done something powerful. Hill expressed her personal view on Donald Trump by calling him a white supremacist and this sparked major controversy, many calling for her to be fired. This time, in the wake of Jerry Jones telling players he will bench them if they don't stand for the flag, Hill hinted to fans a possible boycott of the team.
In a series of tweets, Hill stated “If you strongly reject what Jerry Jones said, the key is his advertisers. Don't place the burden squarely on the players. Just so we're clear: I'm not advocating a NFL boycott. But an unfair burden has been put on players in Dallas & Miami w/ anthem directives.”
These tweets led to ESPN suspending Hill for two weeks and released this statement:
“Jemele Hill has been suspended for two weeks for a second violation of our social media guidelines. She previously acknowledged letting her colleagues and company down with an impulsive tweet. In the aftermath, all employees were reminded of how individual tweets may reflect negatively on ESPN and that such actions would have consequences. Hence this decision.”
With the suspension in place, Donald Trump responded by saying “With Jemele Hill at the mike, it is no wonder ESPN ratings have ‘tanked,’ in fact, tanked so badly it is the talk of the industry!” It’s safe to say that when you go after the President and a billion dollar industry (NFL), you can expect some type of backlash.
For Hill to speak out on the President is one thing, but speaking out on the NFL and hinting at a possible boycott of games which are shown on the same network you work for is a major issue that ESPN felt they had to address. Words can be hurtful, but when you start messing with money, thats when actions start to take place, hence the suspension.
And that is exactly what all of this boils down too. Not the protests. Not the actual issues involved with the protests. Not personal belief. But money. I’m sure ESPN and the NFL would be okay with the voicing of opinions if it didn't directly affect their money, but since viewership is down and certain fans are disgruntled, the higher powers feel they needed to appease the masses. But where does this leave Jemele Hill?
As an African-American employee of ESPN, where the company has already stated they don't want to hear your personal views while you're working for them, I would imagine it being pretty difficult to come to work everyday knowing you cant really say how you feel. “Stick to sports and not politics” is basically the motto being passed around in 2017. But in all of this, there is a huge level of hypocrisy from the President, the NFL, and ESPN.
The President can tweet about his disgust for Jemele Hill and her opinions but can keep his job with no sanctions, but if Hill tweets something negative about Trump she gets backlash. ESPN can cover multiple stories on protests, but as soon Hill speaks against the NFL, then comes suspension. One could argue as an employee of a major company, it might be wrong to post tweets that could possibly influence people a certain way, but you should also ask “what if she’s right?”
Are there really racial issues that need to be dealt with or are we living in lala land and pretending like they don't exist, because according to Bears legend Mike Ditka, they don’t. Ditka stated:
"All of a sudden, it's become a big deal now, about oppression. There has been no oppression in the last 100 years that I know of. Now maybe I'm not watching it as carefully as other people. I think the opportunity is there for everybody…If you want to work, if you want to try, if you want to put effort into yourself, I think you can accomplish anything.”
Is this the era of sit down and shut up and just go to work like everything is all good? Anytime racial issues are brought into discussion, especially with sports, it makes people uncomfortable. It makes people uncomfortable for people to come to terms with the fact that the President just might be a white supremacist. It makes people uncomfortable to bring up discussions about the national anthem and the flag as the reasons for protests fall on deaf and ignorant ears. No matter how many times it has been expressed that the reason for protest is not an attempt at disrespecting the flag and anthem, certain fans still won’t listen. No matter how many times a military vet comes forward to say they support the protests, certain fans will still make it about military even though they themselves have never come close to fighting for this country.
Jemele Hill, despite being on the sports most wanted list, despite fans calling for her job, still has a job and still has a voice and we are still left with the issues at hand. So what’s next?
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Queen of the Hill…Shame on You ESPN
Jemele Hill did not shy away from sharing her personal views in a series of tweets that made ESPN feel like they had to do damage control and distance themselves from Hill’s personal views.
Bruce Yeung/Getty Images - Jemele Hill
“The comments on Twitter from Jemele Hill regarding the President do not represent the position of ESPN. We have addressed this with Jemele and she recognizes her actions were inappropriate.” This was the statement ESPN released after Jemele Hill, the co-host of the 6 p.m. broadcast of SportsCenter made some controversial statements about President Trump from her twitter account. Hill did not shy away from sharing her personal views in a series of tweets that made ESPN feel like they had to do damage control and distance themselves from Hill’s personal views.
Hill stated “Donald Trump is a white supremacist who has largely surrounded himself w/ other white supremacists.” Hill also went on to tweet “Donald Trump is a bigot. Glad you could live with voting for him. I couldn't, because I cared about more than just myself…I hate a lot of things but not enough to jeopardize my fellow citizens with an unfit, bigoted, incompetent moron. But hey, that's just me.” Hill as an African American woman sports anchor is in a class of her own, as their are not many black anchor women who hold the platform of hosting a primetime sports show.
Hill caused uproar on Twitter with these statements as many people felt outraged and began demanding that Hill be fired from ESPN. Her comments even rubbed officials wrong in the White House as White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders stated in a press conference “That’s one of the more outrageous comments that anyone could make and certainly something that I think is a fireable offense by ESPN.” Jemele Hill should be fired for making a statement about the President on her own personal platform? Interesting to see that as a country we are moving to an era of censorship where speaking on your political views is a “fireable offense.”
The White House has done a poor job addressing some of country’s latest racial issues, especially after President Trump faced major backlash for how he responded to the events at Charlottesville. Jemele Hill using her platform to address the issues of the White House employing known White Supremacists and facing backlash for it just further strengthens the argument that there are still racial agendas that have yet to be addressed. Many people have felt the need to sweep racial issues under the rug as if they do not still exist, but major athletes and sports figures have been using their platforms more and more and this seems to make people uncomfortable.
Should politics be left outside of sports? That is the message that ESPN relayed to Jemele Hill, basically saying that her political views have no place here as an ESPN employee. Instead of stating that they support Hill in having her own political views, which Hill did state were hers and not of ESPN, they went out of there way to make a public statement to say that her statement was inappropriate. So what is appropriate ESPN?
As if being a minority at this time where racial tension is at high is not hard enough, being a black woman with a voice on national television has even more difficulties. Last month during an SI Media Panel, Hill stated-
“I have to talk myself out of sending certain tweets several times a day,” Hill told SI. “When you're under the leadership of a President that refuses to condemn Nazis and racism, how am I supposed to function the rest of the day and pretend as if I give a sh*t about Blake Bortles losing his job? That's the conversation I'm having with myself on daily basis. I know there are sports fans looking for me to provide them with an ‘escape,’ but as a woman and person of color, I have no escape from the fact that there are people in charge who seem to be either sickened by my existence or are intent on erasing my dignity in every possible way. So today, my feed is probably a little edgier than it was. It's reflective of all the emotion and conflict I feel. I think others feel the same way.”
The issues that Hill addresses may rub people the wrong way but at the end of the day they too have the right to not follow her on twitter or watch her show. The right to practice personal discretion for viewers is just as important as public figures having the right to express personal views and bring attention to issues that are clearly plaguing this country. Whether Hill’s statement about Trump being a white supremacist or racist is true or not, it is personal opinion and nowhere near a fireable offense. Maybe the fans and White House executives should concern themselves with actual issues rather than be outraged over what one woman says on her twitter page or when another athlete takes a knee for social injustices.
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Meet Joshua Martin, Senior Video Editor for 247 Live Culture!
Email: Joshua@247LCTV.com