Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Shaquille O'Neal and Ernie Johnson premiered on ESPN ahead of a doubleheader Wednesday with laughs, jabs and basketball analysis.

If anyone had worries that the “Inside the NBA” move to ESPN would change the show at all, they can put that to bed. Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal returned to the airwaves for the beloved NBA studio show on Wednesday night as the Worldwide Leader opened its 2025-26 slate of games.

For years, ESPN's NBA studio shows couldn't match the alchemy of TNT's 'Inside the NBA.' So they went out and acquired it.

Johnson Jr. is the widely respected, six-time Sports Emmy Award-winning host and anchor of Inside the NBA. Beyond the NBA, he is the lead host for the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament coverage on CBS/Turner and has covered numerous other major sporting events, including the MLB, NFL, and the Olympics.

The NBA’s beloved studio crew is still on TV—it’s just shifting gears. ESPN will be licensed Inside the NBA from TNT in a groundbreaking agreement, and fans will be able to see Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley, Ernie Johnson, and Kenny Smith’s ...

Wednesday has a great NBA doubleheader, and it comes with slight changes to the usual ESPN telecast. Here's what viewers need to know.

Here is everything to know about the NBA's national TV coverage in 2025-26, including complete game schedules for ABC/ESPN, NBC and Amazon Prime.