As news came down that the NBA had officially rejected Warner Bros. Discovery’s matching rights claim to keep a portion of the media rights deal for TNT Sports, many have weighed in on the topic. Some have looked at the enormous financial package, 11 years and $77 billion, some are discussing the number of streaming-only games that will take place and others are fixated more on the return of NBA and John Tesh’s ‘Roundball Rock’ theme song. Stephen A. Smith on his podcast, The Stephen A. Smith Show, talked about the terms of the deal and what it means for TNT Sports, who had been an NBA partner for nearly four decades.
After reading through some of the particulars of the agreement the NBA announced, Smith said, “…The new agreements with ESPN, ABC and Amazon are not set to begin until the 2025-26 season, meaning TNT could go into its final season under its current contract with the possibility of suing the league it is covering. Warner Bros. Discovery’s most recent proposal did not match the terms of Amazon Prime Video’s offer and therefore we have entered into a long-term arrangement with Amazon. This is according to the NBA. We are grateful to Turner Sports for its award-winning coverage of the NBA and look forward to another season of the NBA on TNT. This is what the NBA said in the conclusion of its statement.
“TNT dropped the ball here. I’m not talking about Barkley. I’m not talking about Shaq. I’m not talking about Kenny Smith or Ernie Johnson. I’m talking about the brass at TNT. It started years ago when they alluded to how unimportant the NBA was to the brand itself and the resistance that they gave in reaching a new deal.”
Smith said his sources have told him that Adam Silver spoke with the top people at WBD and alerted to them to what was coming and what they would need to do in order to match. Smith says it was laid out and instead of taking immediate action, “there was a bunch of hemming and hawing,” Smith said.
“See, that’s why Barkley’s been going off. Because he knew and still knows it never had to come to this. So now we look at TNT and what are we to make of it? Let me tell you what you make of it. Number one, anybody who can get their hands on Barkley, Shaq, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson should do it, even if it’s ESPN.”
They are a treasure and a tribute to the league itself. And there’s no way on earth there should be a basketball season in the foreseeable future, far beyond next season, without them in front of that camera. So hopefully somehow, some way, there will be a platform available to them, whether it’s ESPN, ABC, whether it’s Amazon, whether it’s NBC, something to keep that team intact.
As for the future of TNT Sports without the NBA, Smith said, “All I can say is that I don’t know where that network goes from here. I mean, how many episodes of Law and Order can you air…You need something live. You need something fresh. How many old movies can you air? You need something live. You need something fresh.”
Warner Bros. Discovery issued a statement which led many to believe they are prepared to battle with the league in court. Smith talked about it as part of the discussion and was clear on what he thinks their chances would be of winning.
“It’s going to be really interesting to see what [TNT Sports does] beyond next season, because there’s no way they’re winning this lawsuit. I can’t see it. I can see a settlement happening where millions of paid production fees are picked up and all of this other stuff. I can’t see them winning this and forcing and compelling the NBA to make them a part of the package now that this decision has been made.”
Smith concluded the discussion by saying, “The last days of the NBA on TNT, is arriving next season. Barkley, Shaq, Kenny Smith, Ernie Johnson. Hopefully, it’s just the last days of the NBA on TNT, not the last days of that crew.”
