ESPN president of content material Burke Magnus informed The Athletic on Friday that his firm won’t be making many adjustments to the present format of Contained in the NBA.
Inside The NBA To Debut On ESPN This Fall
Contained in the NBA can be making its ESPN debut subsequent month for the upcoming 2025-26 NBA season after beforehand airing for NBA on TNT broadcasts from Nov. 4, 1989, by way of Could 31, 2025.
Magnus stated ESPN’s present will air dwell on the community for the pregame, halftime, and postgame.
Though Jon Lewis of Sports activities Media Watch reported final month that Contained in the NBA will air in a half-hour timeslot initially of the season, Magnus talked about the present will air so long as it did on TNT for postgame speak.
“That’s our purpose. It will likely be as near that as we will probably get. I perceive that normal working process for us for a few years has been to get to SportsCenter,” he stated.
“There’s going to be 200 or 300 (different) nights or in order that we’re nonetheless going to do this.”
TNT Commentator Quartet To Make Its Return
The long-lasting commentator quartet of Charles Barkley, Ernie Johnson Jr., Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O’Neal can even be a part of ESPN’s opening night time protection on Wednesday, Oct. 22.
“[Fans are] going to get the present they love in a means that’s similar to the way in which it’s all the time been,” Magnus added. “It’s nonetheless produced in Atlanta by the exact same people who produced it for Turner. It’s of their constructing. Aside from a brand on the set, it’s going to seem the identical, and that’s precisely what we wish.”
The present can have a “hiatus early within the season, as ESPN’s NBA schedule is backloaded,” however it is going to be on the air for the Christmas Day lineup. Magnus confirmed that the group “can be on the air for all of ESPN’s playoff nights.”
When Contained in the NBA shouldn’t be internet hosting, Magnus stated ESPN will proceed to make use of its NBA Countdown crew.
It needs to be famous that whereas the unique present sometimes aired on Tuesdays and Thursdays, ESPN is about to air video games on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
