1. It\u2019s been a frustrating time for fans of Inside the NBA. The show, which moved from TNT to ESPN\/ABC, has only aired nine times in four months so far this season thanks to scheduling quirks.<\/p>\n
There have even been wild and deranged theories on social media that the NBA had a hand in keeping Inside the NBA off the air because the show doesn\u2019t always paint the league in the best light, which is definitely one of the more unhinged sports conspiracy theories I\u2019ve seen lately.<\/p>\n
However, starting Friday, the show featuring Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O\u2019Neal will be back in your lives (if you\u2019re an NBA fan) on a much more regular basis with the show scheduled to air 11 times over the next three weeks.<\/p>\n
Inside the NBA is slated to air on Friday, Saturday and Sunday over the next three weeks. The show will also air on Sat. March 14, before going on a break thanks to the NCAA tournament, which Barkley and Smith work for CBS\/Turner. The show will also be on regularly throughout the playoffs, which begin on April 18.<\/p>\n
In addition, and this will be huge, for the first time ever, Johnson, Barkley, Smith and Shaq will be the studio crew during the NBA Finals.<\/p>\n
Even in its limited run on ESPN\/ABC this season, it\u2019s been crystal clear that Inside the NBA is the same exact show it has been for 30-plus years. The only difference has been the channel it\u2019s on and frequency of shows. <\/p>\n
Since the content is the same, it\u2019s time now for NBA fans to sit back and finally enjoy the greatest sports studio show of all time on a regular basis, beginning tomorrow night. <\/p>\n
2.\u00a0A brand-new SI Media With Jimmy Traina dropped this morning. This week\u2019s show features a conversation with Ben Koo, the owner and editor of Awful Announcing.<\/p>\n
The podcast covers all things Awful Announcing, including the history of the site, Koo\u2019s philosophy for what to post and not post, the dilemma in amplifying terrible people in sports media, whether Koo feels the company is respected within the sports media industry, the site\u2019s relationship with the networks that air sports and much more.<\/p>\n
You can listen to the SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast below or on Apple<\/a> and Spotify<\/a>.<\/p>\n You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina<\/a> on YouTube.<\/p>\n 3. CBS announced on Thursday that Nate Burleson will take over studio hosting duties for the first two weeks of this year\u2019s NCAA tournament. Ernie Johnson, who is normally the studio host, will return for the Final Four and title game.<\/p>\n Many believe that Burleson will eventually replace James Brown as the host of the NFL Today, so this could be looked at as kind of a trial run for Burleson as a main host as opposed to an analyst. <\/p>\n “It\u2019s the first sport I fell in love with\u2026there\u2019s no better platform and time of the year than March Madness.\u201d@nateburleson<\/a> is joining CBS Sports and TNT Sports\u2019 coverage of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament as a studio host! pic.twitter.com\/STJyQnITb7<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 CBS Sports PR (@CBSSportsGang) February 19, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n 4. Get ready to see even more of Pat McAfee. Bloomberg reports<\/a> that McAfee is now being represented by agent Ari Emmanuel, who is the CEO of Endeavor and TKO, which owns WWE, where McAfee works a side gig.<\/p>\n According to Bloomberg, McAfee will appear in four episodes of the Paramount+ series Tulsa King. McAfee also has a part in an upcoming Peter Berg movie, The Mosquito Bowl.<\/p>\n 5. There\u2019s some big Kevin Durant Twitter drama that I can\u2019t even follow or understand, but you can read about it here<\/a>. From what I can gather, Durant has been accused of having a burner account that he has used to trash teammates.<\/p>\n He was asked about the allegation during practice on Wednesday. Interestingly, he did not deny the accusation. Instead, he said he was \u201cnot here to get into Twitter nonsense.\u201d <\/p>\n Kevin Durant today at Rockets practice: <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not here to get into Twitter nonsense. My teammates know what it is, we\u2019ve been locked in the whole season.\u201d pic.twitter.com\/tX3vMtdBGV<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Kelly Iko (@KellyIko) February 18, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Why not just deny everything? His response just makes you wonder.<\/p>\n 6. This is a blow to New Yorkers. Even as a Yankees fan, I always enjoy listening to Howie Rose while driving around in the summer just because he\u2019s so great at radio play-by-play.<\/p>\n Howie Rose to work fewer Mets games on radio this season \u2014 Anthony Rieber (@AnthonyRieber) February 19, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n 7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: As I said on this week\u2019s SI Media With Jimmy Traina, I\u2019m starting to get the baseball itch, so here\u2019s an oldie, but goodie that a follower of mine reminded me of earlier this week.<\/p>\n Be sure to\u00a0catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts<\/a>\u00a0and check out the\u00a0Sports Illustrated Media Podcast\u00a0hosted by Jimmy Traina on\u00a0Apple<\/a>,\u00a0Spotify<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0Google<\/a>. You can also follow Jimmy on\u00a0X<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Rose will not travel during the regular season but said he plans to call every Mets’ postseason game \u2013 home and away \u2013 should they make it.https:\/\/t.co\/gEw3pDGNUG<\/a><\/p>\n