Charles Barkley Reveals Huge News On Retirement

Charles Barkley has been at the forefront of NBA spectacle since he was drafted into the league in 1984. Following his NBA retirement in 2000, Barkley began his analyst career with Turner Network Television (TNT). Charles Barkley joined Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith on TNT's "Inside the NBA," later joined by Shaquille O'Neal in 2011.

"Inside the NBA" has since become the pinnacle of NBA television, racking up numerous Emmy's in their efforts. Following the 2023-24 NBA season TNT's broadcasting deal with the NBA ended, prompting Barkley to announce his retirement following the 2024-25 season. The decision to move on from TNT by the NBA sent fans into turmoil, accusing the league of caring more about money than the fans. Despite the consideration of retirement from Charles Barkley, he has broken huge news concerning that decision. What decision did Charles Barkley make?

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Charles Barkley Will Remain With TNT

Following the breaking news of TNT losing NBA streaming rights, Charles Barkley soon announced consideration of retirement.

"I have made the decision that, no matter what happens, next year is going to be my last year on television. And I just want to say thank you to my NBA family. You guys have been great to me. My heart is full with joy and gratitude."- Barkley said following Game 4 of the 2024 NBA Finals.

Luckily for fans (and TNT), Barkley has reneged on this promise:

"I love my TNT Sports family. My No. 1 priority has been and always will be our people and keeping everyone together for as long as possible," Barkley said. "... 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.

"This is the only place for me. I have to say ... I've been impressed by the leadership team who is fighting hard and have been aggressive in adding new properties to TNT Sports, which I am very excited about. ... I'm going to give my all as we keep [fans] entertained for years to come."

Barkley signed a 10-year, $210 million deal in October of 2022. Barkley now plans to fulfill the rest of that contract with TNT. Following the dissolving of TNT's relationship with the NBA, Amazon will make a bid at the "Inside the NBA" crew. Following host Ernie Johnson announcing he would stay with TNT, it appeared clear that such a plan would not pan out.

The Accomplishments Of Inside The NBA

Charles Barkley is one-fourth of Inside the NBA. The TNT show has garnered national respect for its blend of analysis and comedy. Since the 1989-90 season TNT owned national television rights for NBA games. The following season, Ernie Johnson became the full-time host of the show. In 1998 former NBA champion Kenny Smith joined the broadcast full-time. A couple of years later, Charles Barkley joined as a full-time analyst. Following Shaquille O'Neal's retirement in 2011, the formation of an iconic group occurred with his signing to TNT.

Bill Simmons of ESPN wrote back in May 2002, when Johnson, Smith, and Barkley "Inside The NBA, "was the greatest TV studio show I've seen." Simmons noted, "A postgame show that occasionally improves on the ratings from the actual game? How rare is that?" Inside has garnered numerous awards. The show has won nineteen Emmy Awards. Six times for the best daily show (2002, 2006-2009, 2014), six times for the best weekly show (2012, 2014, 2019-2022), Ernie Johnson has also won seven awards as a studio host (2001, 2006, 2014, 2018-2020, 2024) and Barkley has won five as a studio analyst (2011, 2012, 2016, 2020, 2024).

With the loss of NBA streaming rights, "Inside the NBA" will no longer take place alongside an NBA broadcast. Given that fact, the state of the beloved show is in jeopardy. With the retention of Ernie Johnson and Charles Barkley, the odds of the iconic group staying together have skyrocketed. Sports fans around the world would be happy to see the group stay together for years to come, regardless of how it will look.

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Article originally written by Tye Ellison