A new era is dawning for Inside the NBA, as the fan-favorite sports talk show is moving to ESPN after airing on TNT for over three decades. The shift comes after Warner Bros. Discovery (which lost the broadcast rights to the eponymous league) brokered a historic deal with Disney to license out the show. Some have expressed excitement over the development, while some (including co-hosts Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith) expressed concerns. Now, frequent guest panelist Draymond Green is sharing his take.
Draymond Green Comments On Inside The NBA’s Move To ESPN
Over the past several years, Draymond Green has joined Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal and co. during the postseason to help provide analysis. The four-time champion-winning Golden State Warrior has, in some ways, arguably become a fixture on the program. Draymond was at Fanatics Fest NYC 2025 when The U.S. Sun asked him about Inside’s new chapter. Green seemed optimistic, as he not only mentioned that TNT would still produce the show but also shared another thought:
The cast of characters are still the same. ... [They're] still the best in the world.
Inside the NBA has indeed been lauded for the chemistry of its four hosts and, as a fan of the show, I’d agree that they are indeed entertaining. When Draymond Green is on the air, he shakes up the dynamics just a bit. (That’s partly due to his rivalry with Charles Barkley.) All in all, based on these comments, Green doesn’t seem too worried about what’s to come. Meanwhile, I’m wondering if the corporate move will impact his ability to appear on the show in any way.
Despite the optimism from the four-time All-Star, others within the sports media world still seem to have their reservations. The comments that I’ve found particularly interesting come from those directly involved with Inside.
What Have Others Said About Inside The NBA’s New Era
Charles Barkley didn’t mince words in 2024, when it looked as though Inside the NBA would be cancelled due to WBD losing the broadcast rights to the NBA. Even though the show will continue and he’s contracted to return, Barkley is still expressing concerns. What “Sir Charles” has been anxious about is how his and his colleagues’ work schedule might change. Now that they’re at ESPN, the network is reportedly going to require more coverage from them in addition to the Thursday night games they handled at TNT.
During an interview with The New Yorker, Kenny Smith revealed the one aspect of the situation that gave him pause. Smith revealed that he was worried about the show’s length, as he wondered whether it would be impacted by ESPN’s broadcast format. (Bill Simmons also worried that the dialogue-dependent talk show would suffer due to the network switch.) Nevertheless, Smith (and even Barkley) expressed some hopefulness in regard to the future.
At the very least, ESPN’s president has confirmed that Inside the NBA’s four hosts will stay together, as their show continues to be produced from its Atlanta-based studio, as Draymond Green mentioned. A source also addressed the rumors swirling around Inside, suggesting that they were being blown out of proportion. We’ll see this fall if that proves to be the case and Green is right to feel good about the situation.