I don’t know exactly what Inside the NBA will look like when it moves to ESPN next season. But if The Pat McAfee Show‘s time at the network has been any indication, then I can’t help but think that the recent fears about what the Worldwide Leader in Sports might do to the beloved studio show are a bit overblown.
After all, loyal PMS fans had the same concerns that NBA fans currently have when the All-Pro punter took his daily eponymous show to ESPN via a blockbuster licensing agreement in 2023. How could Pat be himself on Disney airwaves? What guests would ESPN foist upon the program? At what point would it just become another vehicle for Stephen A. Smith to star in?
But while there were some early attempts at synergy, those have long faded. McAfee hasn’t just publicly feuded with ESPN executives on the network’s own airwaves; he’s done so and won (regardless of how it’s been spun). Meanwhile, you’re more likely to find Ian Rapoport than Adam Schefter on ESPN from 12-2 p.m. each weekday, while it’s hard to recall the last time Stephen A. served as a guest (there might be a reason for that).
Watch a random episode of The Pat McAfee Show nowadays, and the only indications that it’s on ESPN come in the form of the chyron in the lower right corner and the frequent audio cuts to accommodate the show’s profanity. All things considered, the program has remained unchanged.
Perhaps I’m being naïve, but I can’t imagine why Inside the NBA wouldn’t get the same treatment.
There are some noticeable differences, including that Inside the NBA will not only air in primetime but will also be attached to one of ESPN’s most valuable NBA properties. The general thinking is that Disney will be more willing to tinker with a product when it knows it will have more viewers watching it. And that’s to say nothing of ESPN’s lackluster history with its own NBA studio shows.
Still, I’m not buying it.
If anything, I would think that Inside the NBA‘s increased visibility would make the network even more cautious about messing with success, knowing how eager viewers will be to call out any missteps that come with the show’s ESPN era. Factor in that Charles Barkley is every bit as — if not more — outspoken than McAfee, and I have to imagine that the Worldwide Leader will do its best to avoid rocking the boat from a content standpoint.
That, however, isn’t the only concern.
As others have noted, perhaps the biggest hurdle for Inside the NBA on ESPN is the reality of programming. Scott Van Pelt already hosts the 11 p.m. SportsCenter, which typically doubles as a de facto postgame show. ABC affiliates will prioritize their local news. How can Inside the NBA possibly remain the same without the room it’s been given to breathe on TNT?
Two big “well…”s here.
1) SportsCenter with SVP is ESPN’s flagship postgame coverage after big games of any league. Appearances in contracts are usually determined year(s) in advance of fulfilling the terms, so idk how easy it is to change that show’s scheduling if needed or if… https://t.co/PD4hYeT2bs
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) June 1, 2025
While those concerns are certainly valid and the post above is illuminating, I remain — again, perhaps naively — cautiously optimistic. The biggest reason is that the entire ESPN viewing experience is about to change thanks to its direct-to-consumer service, which will presumably offer the network and its viewers newfound flexibility they didn’t previously possess.
Is it really that crazy to think that ESPN could offer a linear appetizer to Inside the NBA before instructing viewers to tune into the streaming service for the full experience? Conventional wisdom would say that ESPN isn’t licensing Inside the NBA to stick it on streaming. But in an ideal world, you wouldn’t know where the network’s linear product begins and its streaming service ends when the new product launches this fall.
We’ve already seen ESPN have an appetite for acquiring shows and talent like Rich Eisen with the streaming service in mind, and while Inside the NBA is a much more high-profile property, that may only make it more attractive to potential subscribers. I’m not saying that ESPN’s version of Inside the NBA will only exist on its streaming service (which its cable subscribers will also be able to access). I’m just pointing out that the prism through which we literally view ESPN is about to change in a major way.
Ultimately, I understand the concerns about what it will look like when a show best known for breaking TV conventions becomes a part of the establishment. But so long as Inside the NBA receives the same autonomy that McAfee has, then I’m confident that it will be in the best hands it can possibly be in: not ESPN’s, but its own.
