The NBA is on the verge of completing its first In-Season Tournament. ESPN and TNT staged on-site sets for studio-based programs NBA Countdown and Inside the NBA, respectively. The two shows interacted with one another before the game with special segments that incorporated a split-screen view of both presentations. Banter between Stephen A. Smith and Charles Barkley seemed to take center stage, with various moments circulating around social media.

On Friday morning, Stoney and Jansen with Heather on 97.1 The Ticket played audio of Barkley declaring that he would give Smith his “first ass whooping” if he came to the TNT set, which led Jon Jansen to share his admiration for Barkley.

“Charles and Shaq together are terrific,” co-host Jon Jansen said, “but every time you hear Charles, it’s just pure entertainment.”

Charles Barkley is an 11-time NBA All-Star and member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, and has been a fixture on Inside the NBA since joining the program in 2000. Over the years, he has frequently received plaudits for being a venerated and entertaining analyst and travels to venues with the rest of the crew for special episodes during the year. Barkley also recently started hosting a weekly CNN show, King Charles, alongside Gayle King where he discusses matters beyond sports, including politics and lifestyle.

During his time on the show, Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal have had a congenial feud that has included several lighthearted moments. From races to the big board in the studio to pranks played on one another, the rapport between these former players has long been regarded as a hallmark of the program. O’Neal further displayed his personality by manning the SHAQ Cam for Bleacher Report, in which he walked around the venue and interacted with fans and celebrities, including Rich Paul, French Montana, and Julius Erving.

“The only problem with Shaq is ‘cause you can’t understand what he has to say sometimes because his voice is so low, but they did a thing last night where they gave him his own camera and he’s walking around the stands and talking to people and some celebrities,” co-host Mike Stone said. “It was hysterical. That’s the best sports programming there is besides the game; it’s not even close. Inside the NBA is just awesome.”

Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley, along with fellow analyst Kenny “The Jet” Smith and host Ernie Johnson, make their return to the TNT airwaves on Tuesday for an NBA doubleheader.

With the exception of Army/Navy on Saturday, the 2023 college football regular season has been completed, and now the focus shifts to the smorgasbord of bowl games taking place between December 16 and the national championship game on January 8.ESPN announced its full broadcast crew lineup for the bowl season on Thursday. All December bowl games will be simulcast on ESPN+.

It all begins with the Myrtle Beach Bowl at 11 a.m. on the 16th. Drew Carter and Dustin Fox will be on the call on ESPN, with Stormy Buonantony reporting from the sidelines. Chris Carlin and Orlando Franklin will also call the game for ESPN Radio.

For the College Football Playoff semifinals, Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit will be in Pasadena for the Rose Bowl between Michigan and Alabama, with Holly Rowe and Laura Rutledge reporting from the sidelines. Sean McDonough and Greg McElroy will be on the call for the Sugar Bowl between Washington and Texas. Molly McGrath and Katie George will be the sideline reporters.

On ESPN Radio, Joe Tessitore, Dusty Dvoracek and Quint Kessenich will be at the Rose Bowl, with Marc Kestecher, Kelly Stouffer and Ian Fitzsimmons on the call for the Sugar Bowl. Kevin Winter and Trevor Matich will be in the ESPN Radio studios in Bristol anchoring pre-game, halftime and post-game coverage.

For the other New Year’s Six games, the crew assignments are as follows:

Cotton Bowl: Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek and Tom Luginbill

Peach Bowl: Mark Jones, Louis Riddick, Quint Kessenich

Orange Bowl: Joe Tessitore, Jesse Palmer, Katie George

Fiesta Bowl: Bob Wischusen, Robert Griffin III, Kris Budden

The entire bowl broadcasting lineup is below.

Sunday Night Football play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico has seen a lot and called a lot over his decades in broadcasting. But the job found a way to surprise him as he prepared for NBC’s Thanksgiving Night game.

Tirico was on Shan & RJ on 105.3 The Fan on Thursday ahead of Sunday night’s Eagles/Cowboys game in Arlington, and Mike said his check-in with Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith made for one of the weirdest production meetings he’s ever done in his 25 years of broadcasting football games.

Smith got injured the Sunday before Seattle’s Thanksgiving Night game against the 49ers, and Tirico said at the team’s request, they did their interviews with Geno while he was receiving treatment from medical staff on his elbow.

“There’s this guy who’s just like beating the heck out of his elbow with this procedure to get blood flow down to the elbow,” Tirico said. “And we’re like, ‘Geno, are you OK?’ and he’s like, ‘Yeah, yeah man I’m alright. Go ahead. Ask away, ask away.’ I felt really uncomfortable doing it, to be honest.”

Mike Tirico was asked if he was still going to be speaking to Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy ahead of Sunday’s game given McCarthy is only a couple days removed from an appendectomy. He thought he had a good feeling he’ll catch up with him at some point this weekend.

“I’m sure it’ll be health permitting, I don’t know where Mike will be health wise either Friday or Saturday when we get over to see the Cowboys at The Star,” Tirico said. “Those are those things that happen and pop up during the week where you’re like, ‘Ooh, that wasn’t expected.’ We’ll have to adjust.”