By David Barron
With Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal, TNT’s marvelously entertaining “Inside the NBA” remains arguably the best show of its kind, mixing information with entertainment and occasional hilarity.
Appropriately, TNT announced plans Monday to showcase the the show’s three-decade history in a four-part series that will air Thursday, March 4, through Sunday, March 7.
The March 4 episode will follow the Miami-New Orleans game and will focus on host Ernie Johnson. The March 5 (Smith) and March 6 (Barkley) shows will air at 8 p.m. CT, and the finale (O’Neal) will air after the NBA All-Star Game on March 7.
The four stars – Johnson, Smith, Barkley and O’Neal, listed in order of when they joined the network – are the obvious stars of “inside the NBA. But there are plenty of others over the years who have contributed to the show’s success, some of which are mentioned in this story I did a few years ago on the topic.
Turner Sports has set up a site to whet our respective appetites for the series. It should be one of the highlights of the sports television year.
I’ll certainly be tuned in. Friends tell me that the greatest moment of my career came during an episode of “Inside the NBA” when Barkley ripped apart on the air a copy of the Houston Chronicle that included a story in which I noted Charles’ criticism of Rockets center Yao Ming.
Charles, while ripping up the the newspaper, said I was an “idiot” and that I was no match for my colleagues Fran Blinebury and Eddie Sefko in terms of NBA knowledge. In that sense, he had a point.
Photo: Turner Sports
4 DVRs and Beyond 