No more ‘Inside the NBA’? Here are some of Chuck, Shaq, Kenny and Ernie’s top moments

We’ve laughed together.

Quite a bit.

We’ve also cried, argued, grieved, taken a tumble, taken a stand, changed diapers, made “awful” Christmas cookies and, of course, talked a lot of basketball with Ernie, Kenny, Chuck and Shaq over the years on TNT’s “Inside the NBA.”

At least it felt as if we were active participants.

It will be a shame if next season will be the last time we’ll be able to do it all with that group, although that outcome seems inevitable after the NBA snubbed TNT in its latest media rights deal, and Charles Barkley’s recent announcement that he will retire from TV after one more year on the show.

Read more: NBA on the verge of a deal with Amazon, NBC and ESPN, potentially leaving TNT on the bench

“Inside the NBA” started in 1989, the same year TNT began broadcasting NBA games. Ernie Johnson became the show’s first permanent host the following year and has held the role ever since. Kenny Smith joined him as an analyst in 1998 and Barkley did the same in 2000. The show really hit its stride when Shaquille O’Neal came aboard as the third analyst starting with the 2011-12 season.

Here’s a look back at some of the show’s most memorable moments.

Clippers-Rockets conflict was no laughing matter … no, wait, it totally was (2018)

Tensions might have been high at Staples Center on Jan. 16, 2018, the night Chris Paul played the Clippers for the first time since his trade to the Houston Rockets, but the atmosphere was downright jovial in the “Inside the NBA” studio.

Barkley and O’Neal were in stitches over a report that Paul and other members of the Rockets tried to force their way into the Clippers’ locker room after the game for a confrontation. They were particularly tickled by the part of the story that mentioned police might have been called over the incident.

“I played in the NBA for 16 years, and I’ve been on TV 18 years. It’s the first time I’ve heard ‘police presence,’” Barkley managed to say while O’Neal howled with laughter, eventually throwing a handful of papers into the air in amusement.

Read more: ‘Inside the NBA’ ending? Charles Barkley sounds off as cancellation reportedly…

Source link : https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/no-more-inside-nba-chuck-214426569.html

Author : LA Times

Publish date : 2024-07-24 21:44:26

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