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Picking Prime Video Over ‘Inside the NBA’ Is All About Personal Preference

Do you want your NBA studio show to lean on X’s and O’s or entertainment?
Jimmy Traina|
Charles Barkley had a lot to say about McDonald’s this weekend.
Charles Barkley had a lot to say about McDonald’s this weekend. | ESPN

1. This social media post over the weekend, comparing Prime Video’s NBA studio show to ESPN’s Inside the NBA, caught my attention.

I shouldn’t really base an entire column off this post because it’s kind of ridiculous that the person is using Inside the NBA as a way to bash ESPN when Inside the NBA is still produced by Turner Sports. ESPN does not have any editorial control over Inside the NBA. ESPN just licenses the show.

The person who posted this will also be very disappointed to learn that ESPN’s contract with the NBA runs through 2036.

However, the point about an X’s and O’s studio show compared to one that leans on entertainment is an interesting one.

The truth is, networks can’t really win because a lot of people want X’s and O’s and a lot of people want entertainment.

Personally, I just want entertainment. There was nothing better on television all weekend than Charles Barkley and Shaq laughing uncontrollably about Ice Spice’s McDonald’s fight.

I’d also argue that Inside the NBA gives people a good amount of X’s and O’s. Kenny Smith is always racing to the big board to break down plays, so to act like only Blake Griffin and Dirk Nowitzki do this on Prime is just not accurate.

And I know a lot of people are not going to like this argument, but the truth is that going viral is just as important to networks as providing good television. Inside the NBA goes viral all the time. It happened again this weekend with the McDonald’s clip.

Prime Video can break down X’s and O’s like they’re Pat Riley, Red Auerbach and Phil Jackson rolled into one, but that stuff doesn’t resonate in this social media world.

The key for any studio show is to find the balance of X’s and O’s and entertainment while remembering that entertainment moves the needle way more than X’s and O’s.

2. I found it fascinating the past couple of days to see so many outlets run with the story of the Patriots “trying to kill” the Mike Vrabel-Dianna Russini New York Post piece when the report came from In Touch magazine.

I’m not saying the story isn’t true (although, I would bet money it’s not), but I’d think sports outlets would be a little hesitant to aggregate In Touch on a story about the inner workings of the New England Patriots.

3. This is good stuff. On Saturday, Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing said the following after his team dropped a game to the Rockies, 4-3: “I think it’s odd that some of those hitters that do what they do, they go up there and they’re on the first pitch that was thrown. It’s a little fishy but I’ll wear it.”

Colorado certainly got wind of the “fishy” comment because on Sunday, in the Rockies’ 9-6 over Los Angeles, its players kept busting out a fishing celebration.

4. Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan used to be tight, then Barkley criticized Jordan on TV and they haven’t spoken in ages.

Barkley spoke to me about the rift during an appearance on SI Media With Jimmy Traina a couple of years ago.

The feud, though, is now over. On Friday, Barkley told Chris “Mad Dog” Russo on SiriusXM that the duo has spoken recently and they are going to play a round of golf once the NBA playoffs end.

5. For those who dismiss pro wrestling on the premise that it’s “fake,” last week’s SI Media With Jimmy Traina guest Cody Rhodes sure got messed up during his WrestleMania match on Saturday after getting kicked in the eye.

6. The latest episode of SI Media With Jimmy Traina features an interview with ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania.

Charania talks about getting his start in sports media at just 17 years old, getting hired by Adrian Wojnarowski at 21 and how he feels about the day-to-day grind of being an insider. He also weighs in on the recent narratives about reporters in the wake of Dianna Russini’s resignation.

In addition, Charania takes us through what it was like to break the Anthony Davis-Luka Dončić trade. He also weighs in on LeBron James’s future, the NBA’s tanking issue and recently getting called out by Doc Rivers.

Following Charania, Sal Licata from SNY TV joins me for our weekly “Traina Thoughts” segment. This week’s topics include Russini resigning from The Athletic, the putrid starts by the Mets and Yankees, Netflix’s upcoming documentary on Hulk Hogan, the season finale of DTF St. Louis and more.

You can listen to the SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast below or on Apple and Spotify.

You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on YouTube.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Since today is 4/20...

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on X and Instagram.

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Jimmy Traina
JIMMY TRAINA

Jimmy Traina is a staff writer and podcast host for Sports Illustrated. A 20-year veteran in the industry, he’s been covering the sports media landscape for seven years and writes a daily column, Traina Thoughts. Traina has hosted the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast since 2018, a show known for interviews with some of the most important and powerful people in sports media. He also was the creator and writer of SI’s Hot Clicks feature from 2007 to '13.

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