Charles Barkley hands huge cash gift to 50 Inside the NBA staff in incredible gesture with TNT set to lose rights

CHARLES Barkley has revealed that he plans to give 50 Inside the NBA crew members $5,000 each in cash.

The former NBA star, 61, has been an integral figure in the show’s popularity since debuting in 2000.

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Inside’s status beyond the 2024-25 season remains in major doubt after Warner Bros. Discovery failed to land a piece of the league’s new TV deal.

With the NBA having announced 11-year agreements to air games on Amazon Prime Video, Disney, and NBC – Barkley is determined for TNT staff members to retain their jobs.

After previously claiming that he will retire after next season, Barkley performed a U-turn – vowing to stay with Turner .

And appearing on the Dan Patrick Show , Barkley revealed the bold gesture he plans to make for his co-workers.

He said: “I’ve never been fired before and had to worry about anything, and to hear the stress in their voices…

“I’m going to tell you something I haven’t told anybody. There’s about 50 employees that I’m giving $5,000 each to, to show them how much I love and appreciate them.

“Our government and Turner are trying to make them pay taxes on it.

“Now I’m trying to come up with the cash. If you can help me come up with the cash… they’re not gonna pay taxes on it.”

According to the Wall Street Journal , TNT could rebrand its famous show as Inside Sports.

The network will still be broadcasting college basketball and football , as well as baseball , hockey , and tennis .

While he has become a household name in basketball, Barkley has also worked as an analyst on golf and hockey.

The NBA’s new 11-year deal, which sees NBC and Amazon Prime Video come aboard alongside ESPN, is worth $77billion.

Speaking to Philadelphia 76ers star Paul George on his Podcast P show last week, Barkley revealed why he thinks that ESPN will never match the chemistry shared between himself and TNT pals Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal , and Kenny Smith.

He said: “I don’t know if anybody ever gives it a chance, to be honest with you.

What the new TV deal means for the NBA?

By The U.S. Sun's Assistant Sports Editor Damian Burchardt.

THE new TV rights deal is promising to be a humongous win for NBA players.

The league is set to more than double the revenue coming from its media partners, pocketing about $6.9 billion per year, which will inevitably lead to a huge salary cap spike in 2025-26.

That is going to send the value of player contracts skyrocketing.

Projected figures suggest we might see the first $100 million-per-year deal being signed soon.

Currently, Boston Celtics All-Star Jayson Tatum is projected to earn the highest single-season salary in NBA history, collecting $71.5 million in 2029-30.

If TNT Sports successfully matches one of the offers to maintain its decades-long partnership with the league, hoops fans will be on the winning side too.

The network’s flagship, Inside the NBA, is a one-of-a-kind sports entertainment show , as evidenced by ESPN’s ongoing failure to come up with its own version of the program in recent years.

The NBA wouldn’t be the same without Kenny and Ernie trying to make sense of Shaq and Chuck’s never-ending bickering every Tuesday night.

“ESPN, which I love, they never give anybody a chance to get any chemistry.

“They’re all kind of throwing stuff at the wall, ‘Like, let’s put this group together,’ and they’ll do that for like six months to a year.

“And then they’re like, ‘It didn’t work.’ Well, you didn’t give it a chance to work.”

He then confirmed his decision to stick with TNT despite holding talks with other broadcasters .

Barkley said: “I love my TNT Sports family. My No1 priority has been and always will be our people and keeping everyone together for as long as possible.

“I’m looking forward to continuing to work with them both on the shows we currently have and new ones we develop together in the future.”