1. Ever since it was announced that ESPN landed a licensing deal with Turner Sports to air Inside the NBA while the show would still be produced by Turner, there was a relentless and constant cry from ignorant NBA fans that ESPN would “ruin” the show.

Those people did not care about facts. The facts were simple. Inside the NBA would still be produced by the same people who have always produced it, the show would air from the same studio it has always been in, the cast would remain the same, Turner retained full creative control and the only difference would be that Inside would air on ESPN instead of TNT.

Still, the folks with ESPN Derangement Syndrome still insisted ESPN would make Stephen A. Smith a cast member and that ESPN would turn Inside the NBA into a hot take show, blah, blah, blah. A segment of sports fans just had no interest in the truth, despite those of us who cover sports media repeatedly telling everyone how the deal would work.

Those people must have been beside themselves last night when Inside the NBA debuted on ESPN and was the same exact show it’s always been minus an ESPN logo on the set instead of a TNT logo.

The spirit of the show was the same. The vibe of the show was the same. The entertainment value of the show was the same.

The first 5-10 minutes were hilarious, with the cast joking about Charles Barkley’s new slim figure and Barkley’s repeated pleas that he refused to get overworked by ESPN.

The show even turned its regular “Who He Play For” segment into a “Who He Broadcast For" bit.

Charles broke his glasses, which, of course, became a bit.

The show was the same as it’s always been. And that’s how it was always going to be, despite everyone freaking out. ESPN was never going to “mess” with Inside the NBA because it couldn’t. The network’s deal for the show calls for Turner Sports to continue to produce and operate the show.

ESPN should actually get a ton of credit for making this deal with Turner, because without it, the Inside the NBA that we’ve always known and loved would gone.

But it’s still here and better than ever.

2. A brand-new SI Media With Jimmy Traina dropped today, and it features a conversation with Fox’s Greg Olsen.

The NFL analyst talks about what it’s like to work with a different partner for a few weeks during the season (while Joe Davis calls the MLB playoffs), what he tries to do differently than other analysts and whether a full-time international schedule would appeal to him as a way to get a lead analyst job.

In addition, Olsen explains why he doesn’t want the Tush Push banned, why he thinks we’re going to see fewer and fewer field goal attempts in the NFL, whether coaches have adjusted to the new NFL where comebacks are so easy to pull off and much more.

Following Olsen, Sal Licata from WFAN radio and SNY TV in New York joins me for our weekly “Traina Thoughts” segment. This week, we discuss New York football controversies, the World Series, the return of the NBA on NBC, my favorite bet and more.

You can listen to the SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast below or on Apple and Spotify.

You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on Sports Illustrated‘s YouTube channel.

3. Major League Baseball got some great ratings news regarding Game 7 of the Mariners-Blue Jays ALCS on Monday.

Fox drew 9 million viewers for the game while Sportsnet in Canada pulled in another 6 million viewers.

The viewership number for Fox is even more impressive when you factor in that the game went head-to-head with Bucs-Lions on ESPN, which landed 18.9 million people.

4. Last week, I wrote a column about my confusion in Netflix’s interest in getting rights to a USC-Notre Dame game, mainly because of USC’s lack of national appeal.

Here’s how the ratings looked for this past Saturday in college football:

  • Ole Miss-Georgia (ABC): 9.8 million
  • Tennessee-Alabama (ABC): 8.0 million
  • LSU-Vanderbilt (ABC): 5.9 million
  • USC-Notre Dame (NBC): 4.6 million
  • Washington-Michigan (Fox): 4.3 million
  • Ohio State-Wisconsin (CBS): 4 million

More people watched LSU-Vanderbilt at Noon ET than USC-Notre Dame in prime time.

5. The Terry Rozier gambling story broke as I was writing today’s Traina Thoughts so I don’t have a ton to say about it yet. I do think if all these leagues are going to get in bed with all the sports betting companies and we’re going to see DraftKings and FanDuel all over every sports telecast, it’s hard for me to buy the shock and outrage routine from people. I also think it’s hilarious that Rozier’s arrest came one day after this announcement:

6. Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco became the most relatable athlete (to me) of my lifetime on Wednesday when he dropped this quote about eating alone.

If you are able to do it: Sunday morning, early, solo. Diner. At the counter. Breakfast. Trust me. You will love it.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: I will watch this the first day it comes out. Can’t wait.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on X and Instagram.


This article was originally published on www.si.com as ESPN Debut of ‘Inside the NBA’ Was a Rousing Success on All Fronts.

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