Speaker 1: I got to get to another story that made headlines
Speaker 1: throughout the season that came to an epic conclusion on
Speaker 1: Saturday night in Indianapolis, and that's the NBA Basketball on TNT.
Speaker 1: Inside the NBA and tn t Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley,
Speaker 1: Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O'Neil Shag Diesel, along with the
Speaker 1: Live event team, broadcast their final game Saturday on TNT.
Speaker 1: It was the end of a thirty five year run
Speaker 1: of basketball on DNT on TNT. However, Inside the NBA
Speaker 1: will carry on next season with ESPN. ESPN Chimmy Jimmy
Speaker 1: Pataro came up with the idea to obtain the rights
Speaker 1: to Inside the NBA and put it on the air
Speaker 1: as is so next season and going forward, Inside the
Speaker 1: NBA will continue to be produced by TNT Sports and listen.
Speaker 1: I get the nostalgia, I get the affection that you
Speaker 1: have for TNT. Listen, their an institution. We love Ernie Johnson.
Speaker 1: He's the institution, and the fellas are the fellas. But
Speaker 1: I was so happy Saturday night that they sated off
Speaker 1: the way that they did pay homage to all the
Speaker 1: people that they worked with, all the lives that they touched.
Speaker 1: It's been the best basketball show on television. There is
Speaker 1: no debate about that. These guys are phenomenal. All of
Speaker 1: them are friends of mine, so I couldn't be happier
Speaker 1: that they're coming over to ESPN. But it is important
Speaker 1: to note that they're coming over to the ESPN just
Speaker 1: the channel, the same crew, the same production team, the
Speaker 1: same studio they do it from. The show is theirs.
Speaker 1: It's just going to air on ESPN instead of TNT.
Speaker 1: And so while everybody was quit to write the epitaph
Speaker 1: of the show on TNT is the big deal for
Speaker 1: them because they had, in Ernie Johnson's case, a damn
Speaker 1: near forty year relationship with them. I understand that, but
Speaker 1: please know that if you're the fan base, what you've
Speaker 1: been seeing from them is what you're going to get.
Speaker 1: ESPN ain't changing them. They can't change them. Same production team,
Speaker 1: same studio in Atlanta, same personnel, same producers. It's their show.
Speaker 1: That is what we are bringing to ESPN. It's just
Speaker 1: going to air on the channel. But what you've been
Speaker 1: seeing is what you're going to get, if not better,
Speaker 1: As Shaq said and even Kenny Smith said, for the
Speaker 1: purposes of their last show. They cussed, They said, we
Speaker 1: ain't fucking around, were coming to do our thing. Yeah,
Speaker 1: and we can't wait. Honored to have them as colleagues
Speaker 1: at ESPN. Honored, but I've known them for many, many years. Myself,
Speaker 1: big perking, everybody else included. Whenever they need us, we'll
Speaker 1: be there when they don't need us. They don't need us,
Speaker 1: It's just that simple. We all got other jobs to do.
Speaker 1: Can't wait for them to air their show on ESPN.
Speaker 1: But what you've been seeing is what you're going to get,
Speaker 1: so don't think it's going to be any different,