The final buzzer of Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals didn’t just signal the Indiana Pacers punching their ticket to the NBA Finals over the New York Knicks, for longtime basketball fans, it echoed with a much more somber note – the near-end of an era for NBA on TNT. After 35 years, TNT’s run of televising NBA games in the U.S. is coming to a close, with rights shifting to other networks next season.
And as the reality of this seismic shift in sports media began to sink in, one of the most respected voices in NBA reporting, David Aldridge, shared an incredibly raw and emotional message, revealing just how much his time at Turner Sports meant.
Aldridge tweeted: “In the spring of 2004, ESPN let me go. It was unmooring. It was a shock. I had a wife and baby to take care of.” But then came the lifeline. Aldridge continued, “That fall, Jeff Behnke and Jeff Ogan hired me to work at Turner Sports. It was the best time I ever had in my life.” You can almost hear the gratitude in those words.
His message culminated in a heartfelt farewell to the NBA on TNT family, a group that, while the “Inside the NBA” studio show itself is moving to ESPN via a licensing deal, will never be the same without the full slate of games that made it legendary. “Godspeed, @NBAonTNT,” Aldridge wrote. “You saved me. I love you all.”
In the spring of 2004, ESPN let me go. It was unmooring. It was a shock. I had a wife and baby to take care of. That fall, Jeff Behnke and Jeff Ogan hired me to work at Turner Sports. It was the best time I ever had in my life. Godspeed, @NBAonTNT. You saved me. I love you all.
— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) June 1, 2025
That “you saved me” hits hard.
(This is a developing story…)
The post “You Saved Me”: Fired By ESPN, Senior NBA Reporter Writes Emotional Message For TNT On Ernie Johnson & Co’s Farewell appeared first on EssentiallySports.