CHARLES Barkley has broken his silence on the seemingly inevitable end of Inside the NBA.
Following the fiasco of the NBA’s rights deal with TNT, the iconic studio show is set to end after its upcoming season.
two
The NBA announced that NBC and Amazon Prime Video would join ESPN as broadcast partners as part of a landmark 11-year, $77 billion TV deal.
NBC snatched up TNT’s package of games to put the league back on the airwaves for the first time since 2002.
The Warner Bros.-owned network Discovery attempted to hijack Amazon’s $1.8 billion deal by using its corresponding rights included in the current contract.
But the NBA said Wednesday that the proposal “did not match the terms of the Amazon Prime Video offer.”
Two days later, Barkley stated that the league “wanted to break up with us from the beginning” in a bitter reaction to the news.
“I’m not sure TNT ever had a chance,” the Inside the NBA analyst wrote in a statement, via Bleacher Report.
“TNT matched the money, but the league knows that Amazon and these technology companies are the only ones willing to pay for the rights when they double in the future.”
“The NBA didn’t want to piss them off.
“It’s a sad day when owners and commissioners choose money over fans.
Barkley, 61, also had a heartfelt message for his colleagues and TNT viewers.
“I just want to thank everyone who has been at Turner over the last 24 years,” said the NBA icon.
“They are the best people and the most talented and they deserve better.
“I also want to thank the NBA and its fans – the best fans in sports.
“We’re going to give him everything we’ve got next season.”
Clearly the NBA wanted to break up with us from the beginning. I’m not sure TNT ever had a chance
Carlos Barkley
Although Barkley appears to have made peace with the demise of his Inside the NBA team, TNT apparently isn’t waving the white flag just yet.
WBD issued a strong declaration after seeing its corresponding offer rejected, saying the league “grossly misinterpreted our contractual rights in relation to the 2025-26 season and beyond” while promising to “take appropriate action.”
The media giant also immediately began evaluating legal options to keep the NBA on TNT, the US Sun reported.
“They are making a big mistake — and a legal mistake, in our opinion,” said a TNT source close to the negotiations with the NBA.
The source added: “We all think the NBA is in the wrong and will be involved in a huge legal battle as the terms of the previous contract were clear and gave us the opportunity to match.”
At this time, it is unknown why WBD could challenge the NBA’s decision in court.
But the source insisted the league “got it wrong” in rejecting the company’s corresponding offer.
“It will be difficult, but we will prepare for a legal battle so that our contract and its clauses are respected,” said the source.
Meanwhile, ESPN and Amazon hope to snap up the Inside the NBA cast if TNT runs out of NBA broadcast rights after 2024-25.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
