Charles Barkley announced his retirement from television work in mid-June 2024. This development came after "Inside the NBA" was supposedly the odd one out when the WBD-NBA contract expired after the 2024-25 season. One of Barkley's closest friends and co-hosts, Kenny Smith , said he didn't think much of it other than emotions getting the better of the Chuckster.
"We talk about this for years. It's not like a new conversation," the two-time NBA champion shared . "And I go, 'Charles, we only work one day a week. We're all retired.' That's what retired people do. We're just really well-paid for that one day."
"We only work one month a year. If you really look at it, we work in the playoffs. That's when we really work every day. We're all retired, Chuck," added the former North Carolina Tar Heel. "So I never really took a lot of cadence in it. You know, he has his emotional feelings about what's going on at the moment. But I always feel that he understands the value of what he brings and what we bring."
What makes the show so unique
'Inside the NBA' stayed on the air for as long as it has because it's the only one of its kind. From the basketball talk to everything going around the world, the crew's chemistry always makes for an engaging conversation.
"We're the only show that started talking about social injustice. We're the only basketball show that started talking about pop culture; We're the only basketball show that talked about fashion. We were part of that," The Jet continued.
Besides the "anything goes" formula that worked so well, the show's comedic value was off the charts. Barkley was always his unfiltered self, Shaq was the sensitive big brother, and Smith was the master instigator. Ernie Johnson, trying to keep the classroom in order, rounds everything up.
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What the future has in store
The Emmy-Award-winning show is in jeopardy of being scratched altogether after a successful 35-year run. The NBA accepted a TV media rights deal from ABC/ESPN, Amazon, and NBC. TNT reportedly matched the deal, as per their contractual right, but the league rejected it, citing that the network did not fully match Amazon's terms.
Smith also touched on the fact that if things stay that way, the show has to adapt.
"To give up that voice when people need it, I thought it would be a disservice," the 1989 first-round pick said. "So, there are many companies now that are interested in making us have some ownership in the property and I think that's important for me to not be a high-paid employee. I'm from the rap era, so, you know, we gotta own the label, and we have to distribute it ourselves at times.
From the looks of it, the people involved in the program are looking for ways to keep everyone together and finish what was started. The legal things must be ironed out, but it's great news for basketball fans that the multi-awarded show is not just waving the white flag. Besides, they have a whole season to figure everything out, and if they do, consider it a win for every basketball fan out there.
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