Amid swirling reports that TNT might lose its NBA broadcast rights, there’s been considerable focus on what this could mean for the beloved “Inside the NBA” team, including Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O’Neal. Charles Barkley has openly criticized how TNT’s parent company, Warner Brothers Discovery, has managed its NBA relationship.
Kevin Harlan, TNT’s leading play-by-play announcer who also works for CBS covering the NFL and college basketball, discussed the potential impact on his career during an episode of SI Media With Jimmy Traina. “I’ve been with Turner for 28 years,” Harlan reflected. “Turner runs NBA.com and controls NBA TV. There’s a lot of investment the company has made in the NBA. Clearly, there’s a lot on the line here.”
Harlan emphasized focusing on what he can control, which is his performance: “I control the things I can control, and that’s my performance and doing the best I can for these next however many games we’ve got left in this series.”
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Harlan shared his deep connection to the NBA, which began as his first job after college when he was hired by the Kansas City Kings. “The NBA has been a part of the fabric of my family,” Harlan stated. “But, if the worst happens and they leave and there isn’t an opportunity for me, I would leave grateful beyond measure that I’ve been lucky enough to do these games all these years.”
On the possibility of future shifts in his career, Harlan remains open but focused on the present. “Turner still has the rights for next year, so I would have one more year. This business changes every day… When we know, I’ll talk with my wife of 37 years, who’s been with me on this journey, and we’ll figure out what might be the best thing for our family.”
Amidst the uncertainty, Harlan acknowledges the broader impact on his colleagues. “It’s not just the people you hear and see, but all these other people who have their lives intertwined with the broadcast and with the NBA and Turner’s presentation… Everybody works as hard as any of us that you see and hear and those are the people that I feel a lot for.”
As TNT faces potential changes, morale is reportedly low. “Morale at TNT sucks,” Barkley has stated. Harlan described the atmosphere as “tough,” highlighting the emotional toll on the dedicated team behind the scenes. “We just had a production meeting about an hour ago, and I look around the room and see these people who work so hard… It’s an uncomfortable feeling. I think about them. They have families to feed, so it’s tough. It’s the business. It is what it is.”
