Charles Barkley has been outspoken about many aspects of the situation involving TNT’s loss of NBA media rights after next season.
But one revelation that has come through repeatedly in recent weeks is his genuine concern for his fellow Inside the NBA colleagues who face uncertain futures.
Barkley appeared on ESPN’s Amber & Ian podcast Thursday and revealed a surprise — he wants to give dozens of his TNT colleagues cash gifts to help them.
In a surprise move, Barkley announced earlier this week he will not retire following next season and he’s sticking with TNT for the long term. He confirmed Thursday on The Dan Patrick Show that TNT will continue doing Inside the NBA even after next season.
What that will look like is anyone’s guess, and even Barkley didn’t seem to have answers, but he’s thrilled to see employees keep their jobs.
“I had a clause in my contract where I could be a free agent if we lost the NBA,” Barkley said. “(TNT executives) came up and met with me last week, and I said, ‘What are we going to do?’ My No. 1 priority is keeping as many people employed as possible and I was able to do that. I don’t think we have any idea what we’re going to do.
“I said, ‘I want to keep everybody employed. If I have to take a pay cut, I’ll take a pay cut.’ They’re like, you don’t have to do that.’ … But my No. 1 goal was to make sure that all the people at Turner were still employed.”
The news that WBD-Turner had lost NBA rights hit everyone hard, Barkley said. He said he wanted to help his friends and co-workers.
“It’s been really dreary at work the last couple of months because hundreds of people are going to lose their job,” Barkley said. “I’m going to give all 50 people who are in the studio every night downstairs … I’m going to give every one of those people $5,000. … That’s how much they mean to me. TNT says I’ve got to and the government says I’ve got to pay taxes. I said, ‘Screw the government and screw TNT, I’ll find a way to get it to you all in cash.’
“So that’s all I’ve been working on the last couple of months, trying to come up with all that money in cash.”
Barkley has expressed concern for his co-workers several times in recent weeks. In a recent appearance on Podcast P , he said it’s been hard seeing people react to the situation.
“I was taking everybody out, trying to keep their spirits up,” Barkley said. “They were like, ‘Man, I’m married, I got a wife, I got kids, I got a mortgage, and I ain’t go no f****** job.
“It really hurt me that people, my friends, were talking like that. Man, I ain’t never been in that situation in my life, where I was going to lose my job and I had a family to take care of.”
[ Amber & Ian ]
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