Charles Barkley forcefully pushed back against speculation that ESPN or the NBA is limiting Inside the NBA’s appearances because of its outspoken commentary, dismissing the theory as uninformed and inaccurate.
Speaking during Friday’s episode of Inside the NBA on ESPN, Barkley addressed recent remarks made by Colin Cowherd, who suggested the show’s reduced schedule could reflect a behind-the-scenes understanding between the network and the league. Barkley rejected that notion outright, saying the schedule for the studio show was established well in advance. He expressed frustration with commentary suggesting the program had been sidelined because of criticism aimed at players or the league.
“There’s some fools at home that we’re on the internet. They’re at home now. Saying that we were talking bad about the players today, so they made us work less. Shut hell up,” said Barkley.
Last week, Cowherd questioned on The Herd why Inside the NBA has aired sparingly in its first season under ESPN. He stressed the comments were conjecture. Cowherd suggested the reduced visibility may reflect NBA sensitivity to the show’s historically irreverent tone.
Cowherd also suggested that informal understandings, rather than contractual mandates, often shape modern media partnerships. He cited what he described as long-standing discomfort from league executives regarding how the show has mocked players and league narratives.
Barkley appeared visibly irritated by the implication. He said the idea that ESPN intentionally kept the show off the air to appease the NBA simply does not match reality.
“There was no reason for us to be out for two months,” Barkley said, adding that the absence had nothing to do with criticism or pressure from the league. “This was already scheduled months and months ago.”
The Hall of Famer also took aim at social media commentary surrounding the situation. He criticized what he described as baseless assumptions spreading online. He said viewers were mischaracterizing both the show’s content and its relationship with ESPN.
Since joining ESPN’s programming lineup, Inside the NBA has aired five times during the 2025–26 season. Several additional episodes are scheduled to air later this month.
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