A portion of sports fans (myself included) were devastated earlier this year when it seemed like TNT’s long-running sports talk show, Inside the NBA, would be canceled due to the network losing the broadcast rights to the league. However, in November, the aforementioned network struck a deal with ESPN to keep the show on the air beyond this current season. It’s an exciting prospect, though it seems co-host Charles Barkley’s future with the program isn’t set in stone just yet, and he’s still waiting for one thing in that regard.
The 61-year-old media pundit and former basketball player has never been one to hold back his thoughts on a given topic, and that’s extended to his work at TNT Sports and Turner Broadcasting. More recently, “Sir Charles” appeared on The Dan Patrick Show, where the eponymous host asked him whether his current contract would carry over to ESPN. When responding, the hall of famer shared some honest thoughts:
I haven’t decided yet. … I’m listening to NBC and Amazon. I want to know everything that’s on the table for me before I sign in. I love those guys at ESPN, and if we end up there, I’m gonna do the best I possibly can.
Such comments may be a little worrisome to those who enjoy Charles Barkley and Shaq’s antics on Inside the NBA. Despite that, the no-nonsense sports personality’s take is surely reasonable. He has a lot of offers before him, and he’d understandably want to choose the one that best benefits him personally. The financial aspect is only one element to consider, though. As Barkley went on to explain in the video posted to X, there’s something more practical that he’d like to receive from all of his potential employers at this point:
[ESPN] hasn’t even given us any kind of schedule whatsoever. But I’d be doing myself a disservice not to meet with NBC, which I have, and meet with Amazon, which I have. And the number one thing I’ve told everybody, ‘Can y’all please give me a damn schedule?’ I mean, because nobody knows everything… At least at TNT, I always knew, this is our schedule. Like I said, I love ESPN, I got nothing against them, but I wanna know how much I’m gonna be working.
After Dan Patrick – a former ESPN employee – opined that the Round Mound of Rebound might be working more than he thinks he will, the former athlete said they weren’t going to work him like a “damn dog.” This is clearly a man who knows what he wants and doesn’t want as far as a workplace is concerned. It shouldn’t be all that surprising to hear such pointed thoughts from the fan-favorite sportscaster, given the other wild things he’s said about Inside the NBA as of late. In all honesty, it seemed that he was going to try to stay in his current employer's good graces, as he recently joked that it was time to start “kissing ass” again following the new deal.
It’s funny to think that earlier this year, it seemed that Charles Barkley was moving away from the TV business. This past June, Barkley announced that he would retire from broadcasting at the end of 2024-2025 NBA season regardless of whether Inside was saved. However, months later, Barkley walked back his retirement talk, after agreeing to a new deal with TNT. The belief has been that Barkley’s future with the show he’s long co-hosted would be assured but, following his latest comments, that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Not only that, but it’s also been alleged that Shaquille O’Neal feels uneasy, because he doesn’t have a new deal in place. Whether or not we should truly be concerned about Shaq and Charles Barkley staying on the show with Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith is hard to say at this point. Yet, as a fan, I’m definitely hoping that the logistics are figured out sooner rather than later. Also, can someone please get Barkley that schedule he’s asking for?
