NBA legend Charles Barkley has been very outspoken about the recent development of the NBA’s media rights. With TNT and Turner Sports slated to lose their spot to ESPN, NBC, and Amazon, Barkley ripped into his bosses for allowing the network to get outbid and potentially costing hundreds of people their jobs.
“Morale sucks, plain and simple. I just feel so bad for the people I work with,” said Barkley on the Dan Patrick Show. “These people I work with, they’ve screwed this thing up clearly and we have zero ideas what’s gonna happen. I don’t feel good, I’m not gonna lie, especially when they came out yesterday and said, ‘We bought college football.’ I was like, ‘Well damn they could have used that money to buy the NBA!’ It’s funny because we just won the best studio show and these clowns, these fools I work with, turned us from Inglenook and Opus into Ripple and Boone’s Farm and Thunderbird.”
Charles Barkley says morale sucks amid the uncertainty of "Inside the NBA" moving forward. And discusses the possibility of hiring the crew to his production company, continuing to do the show, and selling it. pic.twitter.com/gLoiKm7SM3
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) May 23, 2024
Barkley, along with Shaquille O’Neal, Ernie Johnson, and Kenny Smith, star in one of the most popular halftime, postgame shows in sports. Between their chemistry, humor, and creative bits, the show has become iconic among the fans and it’s helped to increase the overall watching experience for countless viewers at home.
With an average of roughly 1.6 million viewers per game, the success of ‘Inside the NBA’ cannot be denied and Barkley’s contributions to the show are second to none.
At 61 years old, Chuck has been open and honest about his plans for retirement but he didn’t expect it to start so soon. Now, as the fate of NBA media hangs in the balance, Barkley is prepared to enact his own plan so he’s able to go out on his own terms.
TNT Crew Could Create Their Own Production Company
While the future is still unknown for Barkley and the TNT crew, he didn’t shoot down the idea of potentially launching his own broadcast network. After it was suggested by Dan Patrick, Barkley said he liked the idea and it’s apparently already something they’ve talked about.
“I’ve talked to the guys about everybody signing with my production company because I have my own production company,” said Barkley. “And I would love to do that if we lose it. But we’re just sitting back and waiting on these people.”
Apparently, the situation is still developing between TNT, the NBA, and the media rights deal. While Barkley’s network is obviously behind in the bidding war right now, it may not be too late for them to step in and make a big enough offer. It will ultimately come down to how much the guys at Turner Sports are willing to pay in order to keep hosting games on their channels.
Whether they keep it or not, it’s reassuring to know that we haven’t heard the least of Barkley, Kenny, Shaq, and Ernie. One way or another, they will be around to keep up their shenanigans and fans will keep tuning in every time to witness their amazing coverage. Charles Barkley isn’t going to let the big network bosses hold him back and he will not end his television career unless it’s on his terms.
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