The NBA’s recent $76 billion media rights deal marks a major shift in sports broadcasting, ending TNT’s iconic 35-year partnership with the league. From 2025‑26, Amazon Prime, ABC/ESPN, and NBC will split NBA rights, sidelining TNT. Despite this, TNT is making strategic moves to stay relevant in the media landscape—even if it’s no longer airing NBA games.
In June 2024, TNT Sports, a division of Warner Bros. Discovery, reached a 10-year, $650 million agreement with the French Tennis Federation to add Roland-Garros to its portfolio of premium sports rights in the U.S. TNT Sports touts its deal—building on Eurosport’s relationship with Roland-Garros—as making Warner Bros. Discovery “the largest global broadcast partner to Roland-Garros and will bring fans the most comprehensive coverage of the prestigious event ever in the United States.”
Adam Lefkoe joined TNT Sports back in 2020, stepping in as the host of NBA on TNT’s Tuesday night show alongside Shaquille O’Neal, Dwyane Wade, and Candace Parker. And while the NBA chapter is closing for TNT—at least for now—Lefkoe’s story with the network is far from over. As the NBA season winds down and his co-hosts wrap things up, Lefkoe’s heading overseas, keeping his hosting mic hot. “It’s truly an honor to be hosting the inaugural year of TNT’s coverage at Roland Garros Join us for a thrilling two week run!” he shared on Instagram, gearing up to bring the same energy from the hardwood to the red clay in Paris.
But why tennis? According to TNT Sports Chairman and CEO Luis Silberwasser, Roland-Garros hit all the right notes: premium content, storytelling potential, and perfect timing on the sports calendar. “We don’t need quantity,” he explained. “We’re very choiceful… that’s why we’re able to acquire the rights, but also have the investment to go with it.”
The on-air team reflects that ambition: John and Patrick McEnroe, Chris Evert, Caroline Wozniacki, Venus Williams, and more, with Eurosport’s Boris Becker and Tim Henman adding a European flavor. “We bring this really fresh lens, and they bring a more traditional, legacy lens,” is what they said. And the bigger mission? “We want people to say, ‘I’ve seen a change in the way that we’re experiencing Roland-Garros this year,’” Silberwasser said. “We’re committed to making it a much bigger brand in the U.S. than it was before.”
Well, rightly so—they had to act if they wanted to stay relevant, especially considering the massive blow Warner Bros. Discovery took from losing the NBA deal.
Will TNT’s ‘Inside the NBA’ still continue?
Losing NBA rights is projected to cost Warner Bros. Discovery about $1.1 billion in 2026, as per a report by Brian Steinberg of Variety, so the company is rebuilding its live sports lineup to protect its cable revenue. Although Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) will no longer air live NBA games after the 2024–25 season, Inside the NBA is guaranteed to live on, just on ESPN and ABC. Under a landmark 11‑year sub‑licensing settlement, TNT Sports will continue to produce the show from its Atlanta studios, even as Disney networks broadcast it beginning in 2025–26
TNT was reportedly trying to secure Amazon’s “C” package — valued at $1.8 billion — which includes a weekly game slate, a conference final every other year, WNBA rights, and early-round playoff games, according to USA Today. It’s a package Amazon is paying $19.8 billion for across 11 years. But the math wasn’t in TNT’s favor. WBD’s current market value is $19.8 billion — the same as Amazon’s total payment for its NBA deal.
WBD is also carrying a debt of $42.6 billion, as reported by Forbes. Amazon, by contrast, has a $1.89 trillion market cap and the financial firepower to outbid almost anyone in sports media. WBD claimed it had matching rights to retain Amazon’s NBA package, but the league disagreed and rejected its offer. Now, the dispute is headed to New York State Supreme Court.
LAS VEGAS, NV – JANUARY 05: TNT’s Inside the NBA team (L-R) NBA analyst Shaquille O’Neal, host Ernie Johnson Jr., wearing an iGrow laser-based hair-growth helmet, and NBA analysts Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley talk during a live telecast of “NBA on TNT” at CES 2017 at the Sands Expo and Convention Center on January 5, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. CES, the world’s largest annual consumer technology trade show, runs through January 8 and features 3,800 exhibitors showing off their latest products and services to more than 165,000 attendees. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Inside The NBA‘s move secures its legacy despite TNT losing NBA rights. Barkley, who signed a 10-year deal worth $21 million per year, has been clear about his loyalty to TNT, even turning down offers from NBC and Amazon. Shaq also signed a new long-term contract with TNT, reportedly earning $15 million annually, ensuring his continued presence alongside Barkley and the rest of the crew.
Whatever happens next season with TNT going off the air for NBA games, the iconic faces of Inside the NBA will still be around to entertain fans. And who knows—maybe Adam Lefkoe will invite Shaq to co-host TNT’s Roland-Garros coverage, just like they do together on The Big Podcast with Shaq, bringing their unbeatable chemistry to the tennis courts.
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