As the NBA playoffs roll on, many people look back on the history of Turner Network Television (TNT) broadcasting NBA games. Since TNT will no longer air games after this season, basketball fans are reflecting on the famous “Inside the NBA” crew and their contribution to the sport. Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille “Shaq” O’Neal certainly have made their mark on the league and have had their iconic moments; however, it is time to have a more basketball-oriented broadcast in their place. 

The crew does not often know about modern players. Shaq has been obsessed with career benchwarmer Bol Bol ever since he came to the league, even though he has never averaged over seven points per game. Barkley often enjoys making fun of a team and criticizing players rather than sticking to analysis. Occasionally, these guys have good takes or funny moments, but mostly it is a boring watch.

To assume this issue is exclusive to TNT would be naive. It happens in many facets of NBA media, particularly at the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN). Talk shows, which should focus on teams around the league and players that are at the top of their game, focus instead on petty drama and complaining about modern basketball.

Topics heard on these talk shows devolve into discussing whether new players are tough enough to play in a different era. We hear endless debates about who’s the greatest player ever and whether championships were “valid.” Occasionally there will be debates about who the Most Valuable Player (MVP) is, but then the topic veers off to how bad foul-baiting is and how Nikola Jokić is not exciting enough. 

This ties into the amount of vitriol we see players get now. They get scolded for not being leaders, playing the “right” way, being “playoff chokers” and more. Hot takes now often boil down to attacking players. Skip Bayless made a career out of trashing Lebron James, and there are many who follow in his footsteps today. 

Most of the time, it seems like these analysts do not even watch the games. If you only listened to them, you would think all players do is heave up 3-point shots. While 3-pointers are far more common now than in previous eras, it is not like every team plays the same. Some teams use kick outs as their primary way to shoot, others use dribble handoffs while others opt for 3-pointers off screens. This offensive diversity is all over the league and is not talked about enough in sports media.

The same could be said for defense. Teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder have a great defense focused on forcing turnovers. The Detroit Pistons slow their opponents down through their grit and physicality. Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley anchors a sturdy defensive unit for the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, we hear mostly about referees calling the games too softly and defense being “dead” somehow.

This is not to say that the media should not criticize the NBA. It is healthy to critique the league you cover and care about. However, sometimes it feels like media members do not care about the game at all. 

Those who watch these shows regularly do not get the sense that basketball is a sport to watch, but instead a soap opera to hear debates about. That creates an environment that new fans or people interested in watching basketball may not like and is unhealthy for the league and its growth.

There needs to be a shift. I want to hear more about the positive evolution of basketball instead of whatever melodrama Lebron and Stephen A. Smith are involved in. I want to hear about the Houston Rockets’ ascension to the two seed in the Western Conference without a superstar. I want analysts who talk about their love of the game with a healthy dose of criticism. I want people who are passionate about basketball to be the faces of the mainstream media.