On a weird night time for the NBA and its quest to reinvigorate fan curiosity within the All-Star Sport, the TNT broadcast paused in the midst of the championship sport to honor “Inside the NBA” panelists Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson.
This season marks the ultimate season TNT will carry NBA broadcast, however it gained’t mark the tip of the beloved NBA studio present with “Inside the NBA” and its employees shifting to ESPN subsequent season — which made the midgame ceremony considerably peculiar.
Actor and comic Kevin Hart addressed the gang at midcourt and praised the 4 for his or her broadcasting prowess over time earlier than inviting them to affix him on the ground.
“The All-Star Games and the basketball games wouldn’t be what they were without the energy that they brought to the game,” Hart mentioned.
The 4 had been then offered with signed jerseys from this 12 months’s All-Star Sport, together with rings much like those that NBA All-Stars obtain.
Hart additionally poked enjoyable at an “Inside the NBA” working gag phase “Gone Fishin’” that comes as much as ship groups house after they’ve misplaced within the postseason.
The comic offered the 4 with sort out containers, fishing rods and bucket hats to “send them fishing.”
Whereas it was all in good enjoyable, it offered as an odd second contemplating that “Inside the NBA” is just shifting to ESPN as a part of an settlement reached between Turner and the NBA after the previous filed a lawsuit in opposition to the latter when the league reached a $77 billion broadcasting rights cope with ESPN, NBC and Amazon.
And the “Inside the NBA” crew is predicted to stay intact for the transfer, particularly after O’Neal inked a long-term deal that can pay him greater than $15 million per 12 months, Entrance Workplace Sports activities reported final week.
Barkley has a 10-year contract extension with Turner that he signed in 2022, Smith is predicted to signal a long-term deal and Johnson is predicted to stay with the present, Entrance Workplace Sports activities reported.
Sunday did mark the ultimate time the “Inside the NBA” crew will likely be part of an All-Star Sport, since NBC will take over the published going ahead.
Nonetheless, some viewers had been a bit confused on Sunday night time by the ceremony.
“The extended breaks in these games are really tough. We’re now on to honoring the end of Inside the NBA on TNT when everyone knows its headed to ESPN next season,” Sports activities Illustrated’s Chris Mannix wrote on X.
“Isn’t Inside the NBA just going to be on ESPN now with the same staff? What a random time-filler tribute,” MassLive’s Brian Robb wrote.
“I understand its the last all star game for the Inside the NBA crew but to do this during the middle of the game is absurd,” one fan wrote.
