NBA Commissioner Adam Silver doesn’t seem as concerned about ‘Inside the NBA’ going away as NBA fans appear to be. Silver spoke to TMZ Sports on his way to the White House State Dinner and was asked about the possibility of losing the show.
“We’re never gonna lose Charles and Kenny. They’re always going to be covering the NBA,” Silver said. The interviewer then brought up how the show would continue if TNT were no longer carrying the NBA to which Silver replied, “Who knows? We’re all still talking. Who knows how it’s gonna work out?”
He is then asked if he can still see the ‘Inside the NBA’ team working together. “I can’t imagine those guys won’t be performing and announcing together in the future and we all love them,” he said.
Reports continue to indicate the NBA has deals worked out with Disney/ESPN, Comcast/NBC and Amazon’s Prime Video for the three media rights packages available at the end of next season when agreements with Disney/ESPN and Warner Bros. Discovery/TNT expire.
Most recently, speculation has been about the matching rights included in the current Warner Bros. Discovery agreement and whether or not they would try and match the Comcast offer for NBC, the Amazon offer for Prime Video, or neither of them. If and when WBD is presented with the offers, they would have five days to match, however, the definition of ‘matching’ one of the offers could end up being decided in a court room.
Based on his comments, Adam Silver appears to be optimistic NBA fans will not lose Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal from their lives, however, everyone still waits for a formal announcement amidst all the speculation.