Charles Barkley Throws Elbow At NBA After It Spurns Turner, Calling It “Sad” When The League & Owners “Choose Money Over The Fans”

Turner Sports host Charles Barkley has never held back from criticizing his own employer, but in a statement Friday he shifted his ire to the NBA and team owners for choosing “money over the fans.”

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The NBA Hall of Famer, a co-host of Turner studio show Inside the NBA , had previously ripped Turner parent Warner Bros. Discovery for the way it approached negotiations with the league. As a current rights holder through the end of the 2024-25 season, WBD had an exclusive window of talks but reportedly balked at the price. The NBA then went on to seal deals with the other incumbent, Disney-ESPN, as well as NBCUniversal and Amazon. The three packages are worth $77 billion over 11 years. When WBD asserted its rights to match Amazon’s offer, the league rejected it, prompting the media company to vow “appropriate action,” likely of the legal variety.

“Clearly the NBA has wanted to break up with us from the beginning,” Barkley said in a statement posted to social media. “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 piss them off.

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“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.”

Barkley has vowed to retire at the end of next season, but speculation has continued to swirl about Inside the NBA , which is universally considered the best studio show in any sport. Fellow ex-players Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith along with main anchor Ernie Johnson were all signed to new contracts after Discovery merged with WarnerMedia in 2022. Barkley, who is known for his outspokenness, said in recent weeks that he has only met WBD chief David Zaslav twice, including a perfunctory hello before the company’s upfront.

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