NOT OVER YET
Adam Silver gives hope to Inside the NBA fans with commish saying ‘who knows how it’s gonna work out’ about TNT talks
Charles Barkley doesn't have the same optimism as Silver
ADAM Silver is giving Inside the NBA fans hope for the show's future.
The NBA commissioner made it known that anything can happen during contract negotiations.
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While it has widely been speculated that NBC has won the last package of NBA media rights, Silver made it known that might not be the case.
He was approached by TMZ on Thursday and made it known that negotiations might still be raging on.
When asked about fans' worries of losing Inside the NBA, he gave a sliver of hope.
"Who knows," Silver said.
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"We’re all still talking. Who knows how it’s gonna work out."
Silver also made it known that he didn't think Inside the NBA ending would mean fans would lose their favorite personalities.
"We’re never gonna lose Charles and Kenny," Silver said.
"They’re always going to be covering the NBA. I can’t imagine those guys [on Inside the NBA] won’t be performing and announcing together in the future and we all love them."
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While Silver may have given fans some optimism, Charles Barkley has consistently told the media that he isn't holding out hope.
Barkley said TNT "screwed this up" when talking about negotiations on The Dan Patrick Show.
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"Morale sucks. Plain and simple. I just feel so bad for the people I work with, Dan," Barkley said.
"These people have families, and I just really feel bad for them right now.
"You know, these people I work with, they screwed this thing up clearly, and we don’t have zero idea of what’s going to happen."
Barkley did also reveal that he is talking with the members of the Inside the NBA cast about signing with his company, Fine Line Productions.
Inside the NBA's future?
Inside the NBA's run on TNT Sports is in major doubt due to the NBA's broadcasting deals.
The Emmy-winning sports show is a fan favorite thanks to the likes of Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley.
But TNT's broadcast deal with the NBA is up after next season and NBC looks set to take those rights in a $2.6bn deal.
If TNT loses its NBA package, it raises serious questions over the popular Inside the NBA.
One solution could be to recreate the show on another network, which snaps up the NBA rights.
Only Ernie Johnson wouldn't be included as he committed to staying with TNT even if they lose NBA rights.
"Like I said, we’re just sitting back, waiting on these people to figure out what they’re going to do," Barkley said.
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While things might be dire, NBA on TNT might not be doomed yet.
If NBC does win the NBA rights though, Inside the NBA will end after the 2024-25 season.
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