You may have heard TNT’s iconic Inside The NBA is in danger of becoming extinct amid the league’s latest round of media rights negotiations.
Well, panic no more, because Charles Barkley guaranteed the show is doomed — in a nod to both his horrible betting advice and the power of reverse jinxes.
On Wednesday night’s show, Barkley casually alluded to overtures from TNT parent company Warner Bros. Discovery that it might not be included in the league’s next broadcast deal as Amazon and NBC look to get in on the action.
It was a blink and you missed it moment, but the internet saw what Charles was doing right away. He’s seriously trying to reverse jinx Inside The NBA’s existence.
Did Charles Barkley try to jinx NBC's rumored deal with the NBA? pic.twitter.com/a1qkkHN3MZ
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 16, 2024
Kenny Smith shouting out “The Chuck Parlay!” and declaring that Inside The NBA would be here forever was the ultimate chef’s kiss at the end.
Even if WBD is shutout of the next media rights deal, Inside The NBA isn’t going away immediately. TNT still holds NBA broadcast rights for the 2025 season. But at this point we’re all just hoping it isn’t a farewell tour.
If you believe in Barkley’s luck, the show won’t be going anywhere.