It’s the start of a new era for watching the NBA on screens across the country.
NBA games will be available nationally in more places and on more days than ever before when the 2025-26 season begins this week, as $76 billion of new media rights deals go into effect. TNT is out, Amazon is in and NBC is back. ESPN/ABC returns but with rights to the signature NBA studio show they’ve struggled to recreate on their own over two decades of broadcasting games.
‘Inside the NBA,’ featuring TNT’s award-winning pregame, halftime and postgame ensemble of Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Shaquille O’Neal and Ernie Johnson, is back with the same cast and will air on ABC and ESPN, beginning with ESPN’s first national broadcasts of the regular season this week. After months of speculation about the future format of the show, the network announced ‘Inside the NBA’ will air on 20 days during the 2025-26 regular season and serve as a pregame, halftime and postgame show around high-profile games broadcast on ESPN and ABC.
Here’s more details on the return of ‘Inside the NBA’ this season, including when it starts airing on ESPN, how to watch and the format the show is adopting now partnered with a new network:
When does ‘Inside the NBA’ start?
‘Inside the NBA’ is scheduled to air on ESPN or ABC at least 20 days during the 2025-26 NBA regular season, beginning with ESPN’s first doubleheader of games on Wednesday, Oct. 22 in which the New York Knicks play the Cleveland Cavaliers and San Antonio Spurs face the Dallas Mavericks.
Johnson, Barkley, Smith and O’Neal will serve as a pregame, halftime and postgame show for the NBA games broadcast by ABC or ESPN on the days their show airs, including another ESPN doubleheader on Thursday, Oct. 23 with an NBA Finals rematch between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers before the Golden State Warriors host the Denver Nuggets.
ESPN’s pregame coverage on Wednesday is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET before the Knicks vs. Cavaliers tip off. ESPN currently lists the postgame start of ‘Inside the NBA’ as 12:05 a.m. ET on Thursday, Oct. 24 following Spurs vs. Mavericks.
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‘Inside the NBA’ regular season schedule
‘Inside the NBA’ will air irregularly during the early portion of the NBA schedule, with three broadcasts during the first week of action, and then just one more scheduled appearance before Christmas Day. Barkley and company will be part of the network’s holiday showcase games.
There is only one announced episode after March 14 due to Barkley, Smith and Johnson being involved with Turner Sports’ March Madness coverage. But the show is slated to air on ESPN and ABC throughout the NBA playoffs, including the Eastern Conference Finals and the NBA Finals, with dates to be announced later in the season. Here’s the full regular-season schedule:
- Wednesday, Oct. 22
- Thursday, Oct. 23
- Wednesday, Oct. 29
- Wednesday, Nov. 12
- Thursday, Dec. 25
- Saturday, Jan. 24
- Wednesday, Jan. 28
- Saturday, Jan. 31
- Saturday, Feb. 7
- Friday, Feb. 20
- Saturday, Feb. 21
- Sunday, Feb. 22
- Friday, Feb. 27
- Saturday, Feb. 28
- Sunday, March 1
- Friday, March 6
- Saturday, March 7
- Sunday, March 8
- Saturday, March 14
- Sunday, April 12
‘Inside the NBA’ format on ESPN, ABC
‘Inside the NBA’ pregame shows on ESPN will begin one hour before tipoff, with postgame shows starting immediately after the game ends. Pregame shows on ABC will begin 30 minutes prior to tipoff. Saturday prime-time games on ABC will also have a postgame show starting immediately after the game ends that will continue on the ESPN app. ‘Inside the NBA’ is also the pregame show for the NBA Sunday Showcase series on ABC.
‘We’re proud that ‘Inside the NBA’ – one of the most iconic and beloved shows in all of media – will play a leading role in our NBA coverage,’ ESPN president of content Burke Magnus said in a statement on Oct. 9. ‘Fans should expect the same great show they’re accustomed to watching as it becomes an essential part of the highest-profile events in the NBA, including the NBA Finals.’
The show will still be produced by TNT from Atlanta during the regular season. Disney, which owns ABC and ESPN, agreed to a sub-licensing deal with Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of TNT, as part of a settlement when Warner Bros. Discovery sued the NBA in August 2024 after its offer for one of the league’s new 11-year media rights deal was not accepted.
