MONEY TALKS
Stephen A. Smith sends message to Chuck and Shaq about ‘getting paid’ after TNT NBA star ‘had talks with three networks’
The ESPN star's comments come after reports of networks being interested in Charles and Shaq's services
STEPHEN A. Smith opened up on Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal's futures as television analysts.
The ESPN star, 56, spoke about O'Neal and Barkley as their futures remain unclear with TNT's Inside the NBA.
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Warner Bros. Discovery's TNT has been left without an NBA package as the league has signed an 11-year deal with Disney, NBC, and Amazon, starting in 2025.
Barkley, who has revealed his plans to retire, recently shared during The Dan Patrick Show that he's had talks with three broadcasters.
The NBA legend also blasted the NBA for choosing money over fans, and Stephen A. Smith sent a message to him and his TNT colleague Shaquille about the fact they have the makings of being useful for Disney, Amazon, and NBC.
"Everybody's looking to get paid, everybody's trying to get paid and those people at TNT are incredibly talented," Smith said on The Stephen A. Smith Show on YouTube.
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"And if you are Amazon, if you are ESPN-ABC, if you are NBC and what have you, look at them.
"There's a lot of talent to pluck from that tree. They know what they're doing over there."
Stephen A. then pointed out that Barkley and his Inside the NBA co-stars make plenty of money and the issue isn't dollars and cents.
"The gloom and doom and all this other stuff, and because [of] the money," he added.
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"Charles Barkley, you get paid, my brother, well. So is Shaq, so does Kenny and Ernie.
"Not in anybody's pocket and certainly not questioning that. You deserve it.
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"Y'all my boys. I love you, you know that."
The 2024-25 season will be the final year that the NBA will be aired on TNT, making it the final season of Inside the NBA.
Barkley is on a ten-year contract worth $210 million and says he will not rush to decide on his future.
The 61-year-old tore apart the NBA's broadcasting deal with the three networks.
“Clearly the NBA has wanted to break up with us from the beginning,” he wrote.
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.
If TNT Sports successfully matches one of the offers to maintain its decades-long partnership with the league, hoops fans will be on the winning side too.
The network's flagship, 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 wouldn't be the same without Kenny and Ernie trying to make sense of Shaq and Chuck's never-ending bickering every Tuesday night.
“I’m not sure TNT ever had a chance. TNT matched the money, but the league knows Amazon and these tech companies are the only ones willing to pay for the rights when they double in the future. The NBA didn’t want to p**s them off.
“It’s a sad day when owners and commissioners choose money over the fans. It just sucks.
"I just want to thank everyone who has been at Turner for the last 24 years.
"They are the best people and most talented and they deserve better.
"I also want to thank the NBA and its fans – the best fans in sports. We’re going to give you everything we have next season."
Front Office Sports reported that ESPN is looking to make a big bid to land the Inside the NBA crew of Shaq, Barkley, Kenny Smith, and host Ernie Johnson.
"The Chuckster could command $20 million-plus offers from the NBA’s new trio of rights partners," wrote FOS.
"ESPN is already eying Barkley and the entire cast of Inside the NBA, say my sources. Ditto for Prime."
Prime Video is also making a strong push to recruit the cast of Inside the NBA.
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TNT sued the NBA for rejecting the matching bid they made for a portion of the league's media rights.
However, it's unlikely that the network will secure any NBA rights as part of any settlement.
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