NOT SWITCHING
Charles Barkley ‘wouldn’t feel comfortable’ at another network after TNT deal expires and won’t change retirement date
Barkley dismisses idea finances could change his mind
CHARLES Barkley has insisted he wouldn't want to work for another broadcaster after TNT.
Barkley has decided to retire from broadcasting, with TNT looking likely to lose the rights to show the NBA.
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According to reports, the NBA is finalizing a $76 billion extension with ESPN and signing new deals with NBC and Amazon for its media rights.
Barkley, 61, has been with TNT for a quarter of a century since retiring from a brilliant playing career.
He has been a mainstay on "Inside the NBA on TNT" alongside Ernie Johnson, Kenny "The Jet" Smith and Shaquille O'Neal.
The show is a hugely popular one with viewers and many will see it as unthinkable to watch the NBA without it being on air.
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Barkley obviously values his time with the network immensely, as he explained when he was on CNBC's "Closing Bell" from Lake Tahoe, Nevada, this week.
"I wouldn't feel comfortable going to work for another network," Barkley said.
"It'll be 25 years that I've been working with Turner, and I love everybody at Turner.
"But at this age, to go over and start over, I don't know if I want to do that."
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Barkley, who revealed his plans to retire during the recent NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks, also dismissed the idea that money will be a factor in changing his mind.
He has one year left on his $10million, 10-year contract with TNT, which will cover the 2024-25 season.
'I wish I had a job,' claims Charles Barkley as he addresses Inside the NBA's future on TNT and makes LinkedIn joke
"If I don't have enough money by now, I'm the biggest idiot, fool in the world," Barkley said.
"I've been so lucky and blessed. I played in the NBA for 15 years. I've been on television for 24 years. If I don't have enough money by now, I'm the biggest loser in the world."
There is still the chance TNT matches the offers currently on the table, but industry insiders have suggested in recent weeks and months that such a prospect is unlikely.
"I really feel bad for everybody at TNT," Barkley said.
"All the people I've been working with for the last 24 years, they're really family for me and I really hope we match.
What the new TV deal means for the NBA?
By The U.S. Sun's Assistant Sports Editor Damian Burchardt.
THE new TV rights deal is promising to be a humongous win for NBA players.
The league is set to more than double the revenue coming from its media partners, pocketing about $6.9 billion per year, which will inevitably lead to a huge salary cap spike in 2025-26.
That is going to send the value of player contracts skyrocketing.
Projected figures suggest we might see the first $100 million-per-year deal being signed soon.
Currently, Boston Celtics All-Star Jayson Tatum is projected to earn the highest single-season salary in NBA history, collecting $71.5 million in 2029-30.
It does feel like basketball fans would be on the losing side of the fight if the NBA and TNT indeed parted ways, though.
Inside the NBA is a one-of-a-kind sports entertainment show, as evidenced by ESPN's ongoing failure to come up with its own version of the program in recent years.
The NBA won't be the same without Kenny and Ernie trying to make sense of Shaq and Chuck's never-ending bickering every Tuesday night.
"Honestly in my heart I think we have lost the package. That's my honest opinion.
"But I really hope we get a last-minute reprieve for the people at Turner."
Barkley played in the NBA for 16 years, for the Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns and Houston Rockets.
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The power forward was named the NBA's Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 1993 and was 11 times an NBA All-Star.
Then came his distinguished career in broadcasting, which currently looks like it's set to end next year.