“Greed really ruins good things!” – NBA finalizing $76 BILLION deals with ESPN, NBC and Amazon leaves Inside the NBA and TNT out, fans have mixed opinions

Inside the NBA and TNT will exclusively broadcast NBA games for the final time next season.

“Greed really ruins good things!” – NBA finalizing $76 BILLION deals with ESPN, NBC and Amazon leaves Inside the NBA and TNT out, fans have mixed opinions

NBA announces Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal’s TNT failed to match Amazon offer

All this while, it was rumored that the next deal the NBA makes will leave TNT out in the cold. But there were still some discussions happening from TNT’s side to try and stay with the league. At least that is what some members of Inside the NBA alluded to. However, now reports suggest ESPN, NBC, and Amazon have won the race.

TNT was not willing to outbid NBC to take over its exclusive deal with the NBA. The writing was on the wall when they waived their exclusive negotiation rights. That allowed NBC to jump in with a $2.5 billion bid that stunned the sporting world.

Now as per The Wall Street Journal, TNT is completely out of the race as the NBA is finalizing the deals with NBC, ESPN, and Amazon for 11 years. More importantly, the entire deal will pay the league around $76 billion.

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This means next year will be the final time the quartet of Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith, and host Ernie Johnson will work together in basketball. Johnson will likely retire or continue at TNT, ensuring the quartet will not be together in any NBA-related show going forward.

The other three could end up working elsewhere. But more importantly, the deal means that players and teams will earn more in the future. More money means the possibility of better pay, infrastructure, and overall, a better showcase of the sport. However, fans are divided in their opinions.

The NBA’s new monster deals leave fans divided

Fans of the sport have shared multiple opinions. Some say it is good for the sport as a whole. $300 million contracts will be a thing of the past. The ability to help pay for the best players, coaches, and staff means basketball will benefit at the end. But then there are those that feel that the loss of the Inside the NBA crew is the worst part of it all.

As soon as news broke on the internet, fans gave various such opinions. Check some of those examples below;

Time will tell how these monster deals play out with ESPN, NBC, and Amazon. What the Inside the NBA crew do in the future is also an open question. However, all in all, it could be good for basketball.

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