Stephen A. Smith, Charles Barkley, and Shaq join forces in first-ever NBA crossover broadcast
Published 11:17 am Tuesday, November 28, 2023
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The NBA’s inaugural In-Season Tournament is bringing new entertainment even for its broadcasters.
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ESPN and TNT are collaborating their game and studio broadcast teams during the NBA In-Season Tournament Semifinals on Dec. 7, the two companies announced in press release on Tuesday, Nov. 28.
The NBA will have two semifinals games on that day — one at 5 p.m. Eastern Time which will air exclusively on Disney’s (DIS) – Get Free Report ESPN and another at 9 p.m. ET which will air on Warner Bros. Discovery’s (WBD) – Get Free Report TNT.
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The first game will be called by Mike Breen and Doris Burke, who will also be joined by TNT’s analyst Reggie Miller. The night game will feature TNT’s Kevin Harlan and Candace Parker, who will have ESPN analyst Doc Rivers as the visiting analyst.
ESPN’s pregame show “NBA Countdown” will begin at 4 p.m. ET and feature the shows usual cast of characters — Stephen A. Smith, Michael Wilbon, Bob Myers, Adrian Wojnarowski, and host Malika Andrews — but also feature appearances from TNT’s award-winning “Inside The NBA” team of Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith, and host Ernie Johnson.
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The two teams will switch places at 7:30 p.m. when the “Inside The NBA” crew will host its pregame show for the late game and will bring in the likes of Smith and Wilbon into its broadcast.
The finals for the NBA’s In-Season Tournament will be two days later on Dec. 9 at 8:30 p.m. ET and will air exclusively on ABC.
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