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Inside The NBA debut: Kenny Smith calls out Charles Barkley change of tune, 'kissing ESPN's ass'

ns_headshot_2024-clearby: Nick Schultz23 hours agoNickSchultz_7
Inside The NBA's Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley
© Brett Davis-Imagn Images

As the NBA’s media rights shifted, Inside The NBA found a new home. The iconic pregame and postgame show is now on ESPN as part of a sublicense agreement with TNT Sports.

Wednesday night marked the program’s debut on ESPN, and it had the same vibe as it did on TNT. But Charles Barkley praised the show’s new home – which caught Kenny “The Jet” Smith’s attention right away.

Smith called out Barkley for “kissing ESPN’s ass” after he shared how grateful he was to work for the network. The Hall of Famer called it “the greatest sports network ever,” and the crew immediately played clips of Barkley making jokes about Inside The NBA’s new home. Smith also took note.

“Do you want a napkin for all that kissing up you did?” Smith responded. “We here, man. You just badgered them for every day. … You played at Auburn. Y’all wasn’t on ESPN back then.”

The exchange came after Barkley admitted he had some nerves about Inside The NBA’s ESPN debut. He called it an “honor” to be on board, acknowledging the network’s stature.

“I was nervous today,” Barkley said during the opening segment. “I’m not gonna lie because – and Shaq and Kenny can say the same thing – every person who’s ever touched a ball wanted to be on ESPN. They are the greatest sports network ever. To be working with these guys is an honor and a privilege. … When you were in high school and college, you didn’t want to be on ESPN?”

But Barkley made one thing clear. He has no plans to be all over the network in a role like Stephen A. Smith has.

“Let me tell you something,” Barkley said toward the end of the segment. “One thing I ain’t gonna be is Stephen A. Smith, everywhere.”

Inside The NBA arrived at ESPN this year as part of a sublicense deal with TNT, which came about through a settlement between the NBA and Warner Bros. Discovery. The fate of the fan-favorite program came into question when the NBA inked a media deal with ESPN, NBC and Amazon Prime. But with the agreement, the whole crew – Barkley, Smith, Shaquille O’Neal and Ernie Johnson – will be on ESPN.

In exchange, TNT Sports received a package of Big 12 football and basketball games. It marks the latest foray into football for the brand after receiving the rights to College Football Playoff games through a separate sublicense agreement with ESPN.