Charles Barkley agreed to work in partnership with ESPN after the NBA and Disney came to a settlement that allowed Inside the NBA to retain its team. In a recent interview with OutKick’s Dan Dakich, Barkley doubled down on his criticism of ESPN while also roasting Kendrick Perkins in the process.
Dakich asked Barkley what he felt about working with ESPN after cracking down on their coverage throughout his career. Barkley said, “I’m not going to change, I’m going to do what I want to do. Nobody’s going to tell me what to say or what to do. I thought I get upset, they’re like the Lakers are contenders, I’m like no, they’re not. They know they’re not contenders. You know Kendrick Perkins, who doesn’t know his a** from a hole in the wall, he’s like the Lakers are contenders, the Lakers are contenders. And I said they’re not contenders, and clearly if you lose in the first round, you’re not a contender.”
Barkley went on to address his contract situation with TNT and how the size of his contract leaves him very secure about his job. So much so that he is essentially openly challenging the media house to fire him. He said, “But I’m not going to change my personality. They can’t fire me. I make too much money to get fired. So they can’t fire me. First of all, they fire me, they got to pay me for seven years, and I’m going to quit way before then. But they want to fire me, I would love for them to do that.”
What Charles Barkley Said About His Future With TNT
Barkley went on to put a timeline on the remainder of his sports media career. He deliberated upon an early retirement from his contract. He said, “The only thing, the only decision we’ve been making is how long I’m going to work. And I’ve been going back and forth with TNT for the last two months, whether I’m going to work two years or three years. But if I really wanted to, I could stay for seven years, which there’s no chance of that happening, zero, zero. But I have made it, I’m making a decision whether I’m going to stay two years or three years, but it’s more likely two years. But if they’re going to fire me, they’d have to pay me for seven, which they’re not going to do. Cause I make too much money, so I’m not worried about getting fired. And nobody at ESPN’s going to tell me what to say or do, period.”
Barkley has been in the sports media industry for over two decades. He joined Inside the NBA’s team in 2000 and has made himself an indispensable part of the team. However, is this how he wants to go out? While his motives may be pure, such a display only brings out an ugly side of Barkley to the world. ESPN is estimated to be worth over $24 billion. If they get unhappy with Barkley, they might just fire him. Is this what he secretly wants?
