Charles Barkley said Friday that next season will be his last on TV, no matter what happens with the NBA’s media deals.
The Hall of Fame player has spent the last 24 years working as a studio analyst for TNT, which could lose broadcast rights to the NBA after next season.
But no matter where the games end up, Barkley won’t be joining him.
“There’s been a lot of noise on our network the last few months and I just want to say I’ve talked to every other network, but I’m not going anywhere other than TNT,” Barkley said while working on NBA TV’s NBA show. Finals post-game show.
The NBA’s current deals with ABC-ESPN and Turner Sports expire after next season and the league has been talking to NBC, ESPN and Amazon, among other networks and platforms, about what comes next. Commissioner Adam Silver said last week that he expects new long-term agreements will be completed soon.
Barkley and teammates Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith discussed their uncertain future on their popular studio show “Inside the NBA.” Barkley would seemingly attract interest from any NBA television network, but the 61-year-old has decided that 25 years will be enough and he will “pass the baton,” hopefully, to a TNT teammate like Vince Carter or Jamal Crawford.
“But I made the decision myself, no matter what happens, next year will be my last year on television,” he said.
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