The willingness to engage in politics and more nonsports topics came when Barkley joined the show, Smith said. “What Charles made me do was to be much more poignant and aware of my social thought process,” Smith said, adding: “Sometimes, his points are like a flashlight. “I get it all the time: ‘We don’t watch the game; we watch you guys,’” Smith said. That’s how much “Inside the N.B.A.” has advanced. Just this week, TNT won four Sports Emmys because of “Inside the N.B.A.”

Source: New York Times May 23, 2019 20:33 UTC