The past year was somewhat turbulent for TNT Sports’ Inside the NBA, which faced cancellation for a good portion of 2024. Said situation was due to the company’s deal for the broadcast rights to the league being up for re-negotiation. It seemed as though Inside would come to an end as a result, but the show was saved when TNT and ESPN struck a historic deal to license out the show. Despite that, co-host Charles Barkley has been cagey on his future, and he’s now set the record straight about his further career in TV.
Despite the ESPN deal, back in December, Charles Barkley said he hadn’t solidified his future with Inside. The former basketball player explained, at the time, that he was going to hear out offers from entities like Amazon and NBC, who are set to begin serving up NBA content starting this coming fall. Barkley broached the topic of his career during a recent episode of his and Ernie Johnson’s The Steam Room podcast (via NBA Central on X). Considering what the ex-Phoenix Sun said, it would appear he’s changed his tune:
I want to talk about my future, because there's been a lot of stuff going on, I hear, about my future and I want to make everything perfectly clear. I'm informing NBC that I will not accept their offer. I'm gonna cancel future meetings with Amazon. I want to thank NBC, especially Mark Lazarus and Greg Hughes for offering me a contract. I want to thank the guys at Amazon, y’all have been amazing, but my heart is always and will be at Turner Sports.
That sounds like a definitive answer and one that is sure to excite fans of TNT’s long-running sports talk show, which debuted in 1989. Sir Charles began co-anchoring the program in 2000 and has since become a beloved media personality. As the Round Mound of Rebound further explained, he’s met with ESPN and says the team is “amazing.” However, he also further emphasized one requirement he has for this new era in the series, and it’s the same one he brought up when he previously discussed his uncertainty about re-signing:
I'm hoping that this thing comes together, and I can stay with TNT and ESPN. But, as I've said, it's all going to be dictated on my workload. I'm not going to work more as I get older. I'm gonna sit down with ESPN and TNT more, because I just need to know if I'm going to continue working — and that’s my only decision going forward — how much I'm going to work. But I just want to thank everybody who’s been a part of this TNT thing. You guys are amazing, and I love you to death. I wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving here, ‘cause 25 years is a long time.
When Inside the NBA’s survival seemed unlikely, Charles Barkley said some wild things in regard to his employers. He previously declared that the situation “sucks” for his co-workers who aren’t fortunate enough to have the financial stability that he has. Barkley even gave an unauthorized interview in an elevator, during which he tried to explain why the show’s demise would be a big deal. By June 2024, the 11-time All-Star announced his intention to retire from broadcasting in summer 2025 regardless of what happened. However, even before the ESPN deal was struck, he walked back his retirement talk.
The Philadelphia 76ers veteran’s latest address further emphasizes his desire for a healthy work-life balance, as this new chapter in Inside the NBA’s history is set to kick off this coming fall. One would hope that he and the execs manage to reach a work schedule that best fits the 61-year-old broadcaster’s needs. I’d imagine that because he’s been so vital to the show over the years, the powers that be will certainly hear him out.
For right now, though, I’m just pleased to hear that Charles Barkley does indeed want to remain with TNT – and by extension, ESPN – for the foreseeable future. Let’s be honest, it just wouldn’t be the same without him.
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