Recently, it was announced that "Inside The NBA" is headed to ESPN sometime in the not-so-distant future. This left fans with many questions, including whether or not Stephen A Smith will have any part in it. The network's content president Burke Magnus addressed this question during a recent chat with Sports Illustrated. According to him, it's not likely.
“We have no plans to do that,” he began. “And that’s because, frankly, the construct of the deal really doesn’t — that’s not how it was conceived. What is conceived is that Turner, as they have always done with this show, with this cast, with the people involved behind the scenes, are going to continue to do what they’ve always done. And we’re going to distribute it on the ESPN platform. Frankly, that’s exactly what we want. We don’t want to change it, we don’t want to interject new talent into it. We don’t want to really do anything to it."
ESPN Content President Confirms There Are "No Plans" To Put Stephen A Smith On "Inside The NBA"
Magnus' clarification comes just a few days after Smith reacted to the news of "Inside The NBA" moving to ESPN for the upcoming season on The Stephen A. Smith Show. "Major credit goes to Commissioner Adam Silver and ESPN President James Pitaro for bringing this deal to life, allowing a much-loved show to remain in circulation, even as streaming rights shift hands," he said at the time. “It's fantastic to see the show still produced in Atlanta by the folks from TNT, now airing on ESPN and ABC.”
"This doesn't affect me at all with 'First Take' and other projects I have going on," he continued. "Plus, I'm thrilled for my friends—the hosts of 'Inside the NBA.' Ernie Johnson is a remarkable human being, and Shaquille O'Neal is like a brother to me. Kenny Smith and I go way back, and of course, Charles Barkley is someone I hold in high regard."