MIC DROP
Charles Barkley set to retire from TV after 2024/25 season after dropping major broadcasting bombshell during NBA Finals
Barkley decided not to move to another network after TNT lost NBA rights
CHARLES Barkley has announced he will retire from TV after next NBA season.
With TNT Sports set to lose NBA rights following the 2024/25 season, Barkley has announced he won't be moving to a new network.
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The bombshell announcement came by surprise during postgame coverage of the NBA Finals Game 4.
"I've been thinking, I want to say this because you guys are my family," Barkley said.
"I really love TNT, all the people who work here. NBA television, you guys have been great to me for 24 years. I just want to say thank you to my entire NBA family, I love you guys.
"You know there's been a lot of noise around our network the last few months, and I just want to say I've talked to all the other networks, but I ain't going nowhere other than TNT.
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"But I have made the decision myself, no matter what happens, next year is going to be my last year on television.
"I just want to say thank you to my NBA family, you guys have been great to me. My heart is full of joy and gratitude, but I'm going to pass the baton at the end of next year.
"I hope the NBA stays with TNT, but for me personally I wanted you guys to hear it from me because I'm not doing any more interviews."
Barkley has been a host on NBA on TNT for 24 years and is a fan-favorite personality around the league.
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He has been vocal about TNT losing its media rights to NBC Sports, and previously shared he has an opt out in his contract for the scenario.
"I covered my ass to be honest with you," Barkley said on ESPN Cleveland's The Really Big Show.
'I wish I had a job,' claims Charles Barkley as he addresses Inside the NBA's future on TNT and makes LinkedIn joke
"I just signed a 10-year deal two years ago, but one of the things I did was I put an opt-out in a couple years because I wanted to cover my ass when it comes to this situation."
NBA viewers were heartbroken to hear of Barkley's retirement and begged him to change his mind.
"What a tragedy," one fan said.
"THIS IS WHY TNT SHOULD STAY," another fan said.
"Barkley is great on TV. Bummer if he really hangs it up," a third fan said.
Inside the NBA's future?
Inside the NBA's run on TNT Sports is in major doubt due to the NBA's broadcasting deals.
The Emmy-winning sports show is a fan favorite thanks to the likes of Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley.
But TNT's broadcast deal with the NBA is up after next season and NBC looks set to take those rights in a $2.6bn deal.
If TNT loses its NBA package, it raises serious questions over the popular Inside the NBA.
One solution could be to recreate the show on another network, which snaps up the NBA rights.
"He was my first favorite player. It’s been a lifetime," a fourth fan said.
Inside the NBA with Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson is set to end after the 2024/25 NBA season after NBC Sports swooped in with a massive offer for NBA rights.
Johnson already announced that he will stay with TNT if they lose NBA rights.
Shaq and Johnson have not spoken about their future TV plans.
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NBC Sports reportedly offered $2.5 billion per season for the broadcasting package that TNT currently occupies.
Warner Bros. Discovery, TNT's parent company pays less than half of that value on their current deal.
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