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Charles Barkley Had a Classy Message for ESPN at End of TNT’s Final Show

Andy Nesbitt

Charles Barkley is looking forward to working for ESPN.
Charles Barkley is looking forward to working for ESPN. / TNT

Saturday night's Game 6 win by the Pacers sent Indiana to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000 and it also marked the end to Inside the NBA's run on TNT, as the legendary studio show will be moving to ESPN next season.

Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal, Kenny Smith and the great Charles Barkley have had quite a run with the show, which has become must-see TV over the years for their often brutally honest analysis but also because of the fun they have while talking about basketball.

Since the move to ESPN became official, Barkley has voiced some concerns about what his workload might be once they officially join the sports network. At the end of Saturday's broadcast, however, he had a classy message for ESPN, saying:

“To ESPN, it’s going to be an honor and a privilege to work for you guys, you are the No. 1 sports network in history. And I’m excited for it; you’ve got some tremendous talents over there, and I’m looking forward to co-working with those guys.”

It will be interesting to see what changes, if any, are made to Inside the NBA. But it's clear that the stars of the show are looking forward to doing their thing at their new home.

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Andy Nesbitt
ANDY NESBITT

Andy Nesbitt is the assistant managing editor of audience engagement at Sports Illustrated. He works closely with the Breaking and Trending News team to shape SI’s daily coverage across all sports. A 20-year veteran of the sports media business, he has worked for Fox Sports, For the Win, The Boston Globe and NBC Sports, having joined SI in February 2023. Nesbitt is a golf fanatic who desperately wants to see the Super Bowl played on a Saturday night.

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