Ernie and the guys are back.
The 21-time Emmy Award-winning "Inside the NBA" studio show -- featuring Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame host Ernie Johnson and analysts Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal and Kenny Smith -- returns as the pregame, halftime and postgame show for ESPN and ABC's NBA coverage during the 2025-26 season.
"Inside the NBA," which will continue to be produced by TNT Sports from its Atlanta studios, will begin one hour before tipoff for games airing on ESPN, with the postgame shows starting immediately after game coverage concludes. The pregame shows on ABC will begin 30 minutes before tipoff. The postgame shows following "NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC" will start immediately after the game on ABC and continue on the ESPN App. "Inside the NBA" will serve as the pregame show for the "NBA Sunday Showcase" series on ABC.
Below is the full "Inside the NBA" schedule for the 2025-26 season:
*All times Eastern
Oct. 22, 2025 - ESPN and ESPN2
Oct. 23, 2025 - ESPN
Oct. 29, 2025 - ESPN
Nov. 12, 2025 - ESPN
Dec. 25, 2025 - ESPN and ABC
Jan. 24, 2026 - ABC
Jan. 28, 2026 - ESPN
Jan. 31, 2026 - ABC
Feb. 7, 2026 - ABC
Feb. 20, 2026 - ESPN
Feb. 21, 2026 - ABC
Feb. 22, 2026 - ABC
Feb. 27, 2026 - ESPN
Feb. 28, 2026 - ABC
March 1, 2026 - ABC
March 6, 2026 - ESPN
March 7, 2026 - ABC
March 8, 2026 - ABC
March 14, 2026 - ABC
April 12, 2026 - ESPN
How can fans watch?
Fans can catch every show in the ESPN App and in the "Inside the NBA" streaming hub.
How can fans access more NBA coverage from ESPN?
Check out the ESPN NBA hub page for the latest news, analysis, scores, stats, schedules and more.