Charles Barkley was a fantastic player during his playing career, and he is one of the greatest power forwards of all time. However, he is also known for being an amazing television personality, and he often provides insightful but funny analyses of the current happenings in the league.
However, everyone’s run on television eventually comes to an end. It seems as though that will happen for Charles Barkley. When speaking on the Pivot podcast, Charles Barkley claimed that he will retire after two years, when his contract expires. (53:45)
I’ve got two years left on my contract, and I think that’s going to be it for me. I’ve been doing this for 21 years. I’ll be 61 when my contract ends… I’m going to die sooner than later. Not that I haven’t enjoyed my life… But I want to just go play gold, and fish, and travel the world.
There is no doubt that it would be unfortunate to see Charles Barkley retire, as Inside The NBA is an iconic show, and he is a huge part of it. However, co-host Shaquille O’Neal previously claimed that Barkley is “never gonna quit” and added that the Inside The NBA team needs him, while Barkley also needs them.
“He’s never gonna quit. Charles is gonna be here forever. We need him, and he needs us. I’m convinced that if I’m retired and I don’t do nothing, I will falter away. This is what we do and what we live for. It’s what we’ve been doing, and we need each other. We keep each other going. Look, I’ve been here 11 years. I’ve heard that spiel before, but he’s gonna be here till the wheels fall off.”
Things could definitely change in the future, and perhaps we’ll see Charles Barkley ink a new contract later on. However, it seems clear that he has reasons to retire as of right now.
Inside the NBA would definitely not be the same without Charles Barkley and his sense of humor. However, there would definitely be some people that could be good replacements, and we’ll see who replaces him if he does end up retiring.
