Charles Barkley intends to remain with TNT Sports until the end of his contract.
The Hall of Fame player announced Tuesday that he will not retire next season, reversing the announcement he made in June during the NBA Finals.
Barkley said at the time that the 2024-25 season would be his last on television, no matter what happened with the NBA’s media deal negotiations. He signed a 10-year contract extension with TNT Sports in 2022.
Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of TNT Sports, sued the NBA in New York state court after the league failed to accept the company’s matching offer for one of its packages. new 11-year media rights dealwhich will begin in the 2025-26 season.
“I love my TNT Sports family. My (number one) 1 priority has been and always will be our people and keeping everyone together for as long as possible. We have the most amazing people and they are the best at what they do. I look forward to continuing to work with them both on the programs we currently have and the new ones we will develop together in the future. This is the only place for me,” Barkley said in a statement. “I have to say…I have been impressed with the leadership team who are fighting hard and have been aggressive in adding new properties to TNT Sports, which I am very excited about. I thank them and all my colleagues for their continued support, and most importantly, our fans. I will give my all to keep you entertained for years to come.”
ESPN/ABC, NBC and Amazon Prime Video were expected to try to woo Barkley before Tuesday’s announcement. “Inside the NBA” host Ernie Johnson also said he intends to remain with TNT, but the future of Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith remains uncertain.
Barkley joined TNT in 2000 and was part of the iconic show “Inside the NBA,” which won 21 Sports Emmy Awards and has been a model for studio shows. Barkley took home his fifth Sports Emmy for Outstanding Studio Analyst in May.
It remains to be seen what Barkley’s future will look like if TNT doesn’t have the NBA. Turner has had an NBA package since 1984 and the games have been on TNT since the network launched in 1988.
However, the relationship began to become strained when the CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery’s David Zaslav said during an RBC investor conference in November 2022 that Turner and WBD “don’t need to have the NBA.”
TNT Sports also carries the NHL and NCAA men’s basketball tournament with CBS. It recently added the college football playoffs, Big East basketball, NASCAR and the French Open.
“Charles is one of the best and most beloved sportscasters in television history. I know I speak for every member of the TNT Sports family when I say that we are extremely excited to share this mutual commitment to continue showcasing Charles’ unique talents and entertaining fans in the future.” and CEO Luis Silberwasser said in a statement: “We continue to grow the breadth and depth of our sports portfolio and it’s fantastic to have Charles on this journey as we develop new content ideas and programs for our fans.”
Barkley co-hosted “King Charles,” a weekly talk show on CNN with “CBS Mornings” co-host Gayle King. But the limited series ended in April after six months.
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