The show has been hosted since 1990 by Ernie Johnson, joined on set by three analysts: Kenny Smith (since 1998), Charles Barkley (since 2000), and Shaquille O'Neal (since 2011).

Craig Sager, Hannah Storm, Vince Cellini, Tim Brando and Fred Hickman shared hosting duties at various points of the season.

Newly-retired former NBA All-Star Charles Barkley joined TNT in 2000 and became notorious for his bold, and at times controversial, statements on the air.

During the 2020, 2021, and 2024 playoffs, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green made occasional appearances on Inside the NBA.

TNT moved its marquee games to Tuesday in the fall and early winter in order to avoid competition with Thursday Night Football.

Discovery Sports announced contract renewals for all four of the main Inside the NBA panelists, including a 10-year extension for Barkley that he called "a life-altering deal".

In a separate sublicensing agreement with the Walt Disney Company, TNT Sports will continue production of Inside the NBA with broadcasting rights moving to ESPN and ABC beginning in the 2025–26 season.

"Players Only" was the name given to the Monday edition between 2017 and 2019, reserved for players-turned-analysts such as Webber, O'Neal, Garnett, Isiah Thomas, Chris Bosh and Baron Davis.

MLB on TBS uses a similar phrase for when a team gets knocked out of the postseason, called "Gone Huntin", as most North American hunting seasons occur in mid-to-late fall.

[21] The NHL on TNT uses a similar phrase for when a team gets knocked out of the postseason, called "Gone Golfin'", as most North American's golfing occur in early-to-late summer.

While filling in for an injured Steve Kerr on a Los Angeles Lakers-Sacramento Kings broadcast,[22] Charles Barkley made disparaging comments about the age of referee Dick Bavetta.

This led Johnson and Smith to note that Bavetta, a physically fit referee whose job required him to run up and down the court on a nightly basis, would likely beat Barkley (who had become woefully out of shape compared to his playing career) in a race.

Both men ended up falling after the race; Bavetta dove for the finish line, and Barkley stumbled backwards and fell upon victory.

The race raised $50,000 for charity, and All-Star Saturday Night on TNT drew its highest number of television households in its twenty-two-year history.

In response to the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the Milwaukee Bucks boycotted Game 5 of their series against the Orlando Magic on August 26.

Bill Simmons of ESPN.com wrote in May 2002, when Johnson, Smith, and Barkley made up the core panel, that Inside was "the greatest TV studio show I've seen."

The "On Comedy" columnist described O'Neal as the "weak link" but generally praised the interplay between the panelists in ways that often veer far from discussions of basketball games.

Inside was inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame in October 2016, becoming the 12th program to receive the honor and the third sports show after SportsCenter and Monday Night Football.

[40] They were also honoree by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020, becoming the first NBA telecast to win the Curt Gowdy Media Award.

[43] The Steam Room is a video podcast hosted on YouTube starring Johnson and Barkley, named after a running joke from Inside.

The podcast primarily consists of interviews and interactions with celebrities that are friends of Barkley and Johnson, sports media personalities, former NBA legends, comedians, and staff members.