On the second night of the NBA season, Inside the NBA made their highly anticipated debut on ESPN. And the TNT crew picked up right where they left off at their former home with plenty of entertainment and jokes, especially about Charles Barkley and his weight loss.
ESPN promised all offseason that they would keep Inside the NBA as is from its legendary run on TNT. And true to form, the quartet of Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, and Shaquille O’Neal were the exact same personalities they have always been. And it was clear from the jump that the show would enjoy the same freedom that they always have. The pregame show even started with a montage of Barkley saying that he would never work at ESPN.
But there was one thing that viewers noticed may have been a little different, and it didn’t take long for Shaquille O’Neal to bring it up. Charles Barkley looked noticeably thinner at the desk, so much so that The Big Aristotle joked that his Inside the NBA colleague was now a “sex symbol.”
The ‘Inside the NBA’ crew still can’t believe how slim Charles Barkley is. 🏀📺🎙️ #NBA #InsidetheNBA #ESPN https://t.co/0Bw4LTrzpg pic.twitter.com/DP1gx5Srbj
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 22, 2025
Barkley has been very open and honest about his weight throughout his television career, and he’s been on quite the journey. Earlier this year he partnered with a company to promote a GL1-P medication. He was already showing signs of weight loss during the playoffs last season and that has clearly continued after the summer break into the new campaign. If it continues, there may be not much left of the man once known as the Round Mound of Rebound.
