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WATCH: ‘Inside The NBA’ Bids Farewell To TNT, Fans React

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Vivek Jacob
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Vivek Jacob Sports Editor

Vivek Jacob is a freelance sports writer with over seven years experience. During this time, he has written for outlets including The Athletic, Yahoo Sports, Sportsnet, CBC, and Complex. Primarily covering the NBA, Vivek also covers tennis, soccer, and cricket.

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Sports Editor

Updated22 hours ago on June 01, 2025

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It’s the end of an era as Inside The NBA bid farewell to TNT at the conclusion of the Eastern Conference Finals.

The show has aired on TNT since 1989 with Ernie Johnson becoming the full-time host in 1990. Kenny Smith joined him full-time in 1998 while Charles Barkley entered the fray in 2000. The fourth panelist saw Magic Johnson in the role from 2003 to 2007, followed by Reggie Miller and Chris Webber taking turns between 2008 and 2011. Shaquille O’Neal joined the show before the 2011-12 season.

Each of Johnson, Smith, Barkley and O’Neal showed their emotions in different ways.

When signing off, Johnson barely got the words out.

“I’m proud to say, for the last time, thanks for watching us. It’s been the NBA on TNT.”

O’Neal then invited Smith and Barkley to join him in a mic drop as they started to get off stage.

O’Neal was typically more boisterous when it came to expressing his feelings on it being their final TNT broadcast.

“Even though the name changes, the engine is still the same,” O’Neal said. “And to that new network we’re coming to, we’re not coming to f*** around. … We’re taking over, OK? I love you guys and I appreciate you guys.”

Barkley took a moment to express nothing but gratitude.

“I just wanna thank every single person that’s been with me at Turner the last 25 years,” Barkley said. “Twenty-five years. Some of these people have had kids, they’d come see us for their prom, they come back when they graduate college, and now they’re bringing new borns in. If you’re with people that long, they are your family.”

Fans Share Favorite Inside The NBA Moments

Fans of social media said their thank you by recalling their favorite memories of the show. A media account by the name of Hoops (@HoopMixOnly) compiled an entire thread of all the greatest and funniest moments the show has had over the years.

There were other great reactions that encapsulated just how much the show meant to people over the years. As a reminder, the show is expected to transition to ESPN next season.