‘I’m going to miss these guys,’ the NBA told TNT viewers as Charles Barkley put ‘in charge of the chicken’ during the live show

CHARLES Barkley showed he had a lot of use with a mop on Inside the NBA – but he used it to put sauce on roast chicken, not to clean the floor.

The unlikely scene took place on the show, with Barkley given the important task of preparing the chicken.

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Naturally, Shaquille O’Neal also got in on the action and the pair had a standoff at one point, with Barkley threatening to throw the sauce at Shaq and his former sparring partner prepared to use the mop as defense.

The typical scenes of fun and chaos came amid news that the NBA rights would be transferred from TNT to NBC.

“I’m going to miss watching these guys!” one fan wrote on X, the site formerly known as Twitter.

“These guys are crazy, I love them,” said another fan.

“How do they come up with these things?” was the comment from another account.

“Not sure I would be happy to see this at a barbecue,” one fan commented.

Bill Simmons suggested that a deal has already been reached with NBC, which will take over coverage of the NBA from the 2025/26 season.

“One of the funniest things is that we all pretended like the TV deal didn’t close a week and a half ago,” he said on The Bill Simmons Podcast.

“I think it’s done. I think Warner already lost. I don’t know why we’re waiting until after the playoffs.

“Maybe that’s how they have to do it, but it’s all over. NBC understands.”

Generations of fans grew up watching Inside the NBA on TNT.

It is seen not only as a popular sports program but also as a program that is heavily based on entertainment.

Former NBA star Barkley has been part of TNT’s coverage for a quarter century.

He recently revealed that he has a clause in his contract that gives him permission to work elsewhere if TNT loses the NBA broadcast rights.

“I covered my ass to be honest with you,” Barkley told ESPN Cleveland.

“I just signed a 10-year contract two years ago, but one of the things I did was opt out in a couple of years because I wanted to protect myself when it came to this situation.

“I said, ‘If you guys lose the NBA, I want to make sure I can get out of here.’ So I’m actually in a great position.”

ESPN/ABC is expected to continue to hold the broadcast rights to the NBA.

There are reports that a streaming company will also be involved, with Amazon Prime seen as the current favorite.

And it looks like NBC could very well join the party, with TNT’s longtime partnership with the league possibly coming to an end.