Charles Barkley: Will NBA Analyst Stay At TNT Or Leave For Another Network?

Charles Barkley has a major decision looming. The NBA analyst has to decide if he will stay with TNT, leave for another network, or retire.

Will Charles Barkley Stay At TNT?

In an interview with The Athletic, Barkley said he will remain with TNT Sports if they honor his 10-year, $210 million contract. If TNT refuses to pay for the remainder of the deal, Barkley will depart for another network or retire.

“My deal is 10 years, $210 million,” Barkley said. “Turner has to come to me ASAP and they have to guarantee my whole thing or they can offer me a pay cut, which there is no chance of that happening and I’ll be (a) free agent.”

“My thing was, ‘Wait, y’all f— up, I didn’t f— up, why do I have to take a pay cut,” Barkley added.

The news comes days after the NBA announced its new 11-year media rights partnership. Starting in in 2025-2026, ESPN/ABC, NBC/Peacock, and Prime Video will broadcast games through the 2035-36 season.

Warner Bros. Discovery attempted to retain its NBA rights by matching Amazon’s offer. However, the NBA rejected Warner Bros. Discovery’s deal, meaning the 2024-2025 season will be TNT’s last with NBA basketball.

Earlier today, Barkley released a statement, thanking Turner for his 24 years with the network. Barkley also said that the NBA did not want to renegotiate with TNT from the beginning.

“Clearly the NBA has wanted to break up with us from the beginning. I’m not sure TNT ever had a chance,” Barkley said in a statement. “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. It’s a sad day when owners and commissioners choose money over the fans. It just sucks.”

TNT Suing The NBA

In response to their rejected deal, Warner Bros. Discovery has filed a suit against the league. The lawsuit was announced on Friday.

TNT Sports’ statement reads: “Given the NBA’s unjustified rejection of our matching of a third-party offer, we have taken legal action to enforce our rights. We strongly believe this is not just our contractual right, but also in the best interest of fans who want to keep watching our industry-leading NBA content with the choice and flexibility we offer them through our widely distributed WBD video-first distribution platforms — including TNT and Max.”

Barkley is surprisingly against the lawsuit, comparing it to a one-sided relationship.

“I wouldn’t want them to sue,” Barkley said. “The NBA clearly wanted to break up with us. I don’t want to be in a relationship where I have to sue somebody to be in it. That makes zero sense. If you have to sue somebody to stay in a relationship, do you think that is a healthy relationship?”

As of now, Barkley said he plans to retire after the 2024-2025 season. However, Barkley will listen to other networks if they come calling.

“But from a compensation standpoint, I said, ‘I will sit down and see what y’all are going to have going forward,'” Barkley said. “I’ve been straight honest with all the companies.”

Is this the end of Inside the NBA? Barkley stated in the interview that Ernie Johnson won’t leave Turner, and he has yet to check in with Kenny Smith or Shaquille O Neal on their future plans. There are reports that a network may hire Barkley and the rest of the Inside the NBA crew to keep them together.

“Everything is still on the table,” Barkley said.