Kenny Smith makes bold claim about Inside The NBA's legacy with future still uncertain

The award-winning group of Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal and Ernie Johnson are preparing for the final year of Inside the NBA. While there had been hope that TNT would be able to hold onto their NBA media rights deal after reportedly attempting to match Amazon's offer, the NBA opted to go with Amazon, NBC and Disney (ESPN).

The decision came on the heels of many fans calling for the league to accept TNT's offer, which would have allowed Kenny Smith and the rest of the Inside the NBA crew to remain on TNT. Instead, with the NBA declining TNT's offer, the future of Inside the NBA remains unclear.

Charles Barkley recently said that he would be staying with TNT, giving some fans hope that the network would keep the award-winning group together despite Warner Bros. Discovery losing out on NBA broadcasting rights.

At the same time, with plenty of uncertainty, it's clear that the upcoming 2024-25 season of Inside the NBA will be the last chance for fans to see the show in its current format.

While speaking in a recent interview with USA Today Sports, Kenny Smith opened up on the legacy of Inside the NBA, and the importance of Charles Barkley remaining with the network:

"We're the only show that started talking about social injustice. We're the only basketball show that started talking about pop culture. We're the only basketball show that talked about fashion, really. We were part of that. So, to give up that voice when people need to hear it, I would have thought it would be a disservice."

"I feel like we're like LeBron James in his free agent year" - Kenny Smith opens up on the future of Inside the NBA

While the NBA won't be accepting the Warner Bros. Discovery's, the parent company that owns TNT, bid to remain a part of the next media rights deal, it sounds as though all hope is not lost.

With Charles Barkley walking back his retirement comments, there still appears to be hope that the network could keep the award-winning four-some together.

As Kenny Smith explained while speaking with USA Today, wherever he goes, whether it's Europe or the Middle East, fans want to know about Inside the NBA's future. While he didn't give specifics, Smith explained that after the 2024-25 season, he sees the future of Inside the NBA like free agency:

"For me I just feel like we're like LeBron James in his free agent year like we're gonna have to do this press thing and go we're taking our talents too because I think we've become part of the fabric of the NBA where people listen to the voice of the NBA through us and the heartbeat of the NBA through us. ...

"Now we have a lot of say on who's going to be part of something if we continue it together."

Although it's unclear what the future holds for the Inside the NBA crew, it's clear that the end of Inside the NBA may not coincide with the next NBA media rights deal.