THERE’S NO doubt that Charles Barkley is one of sports television’s biggest stars.
And Warner Bros. Discovery is making it clear that it still has big plans for Barkley, even with TNT losing its NBA rights.
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The program “Inside the NBA” will be considered one of the most popular in the history of sports coverage on North American television.
It is expected to end after the 2024-25 NBA season.
The show, which features Barkley alongside Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith, has been well-loved by fans for many decades.
It’s certainly not certain that Barkley’s time with WBD will end next year, even if the show ends.
Puck News sports correspondent John Ourand was a guest on the SI Media podcast with Jimmy Traina.
And he said WBD believes Barkley “is still a bona fide television star” who could contribute more to its sports coverage, or even news coverage in the future.
“There are several options, including staying with Warner Bros. Discovery,” said Ourand.
“David Zaslav told people that even though he lost the NBA, Charles Barkley is still a real television star.
“He’s great on television. And they have other sports there.
“They have March Madness, Barkley has been part of their hockey coverage here and there, and they just want to do more in sports, and he could go from just doing NBA to being a sports commentator, maybe.”
Barkley co-hosted a political talk show with Gayle King for CNN earlier this year.
While it wasn’t a huge deal, it offers an indication that it’s not just sports where he could appear on screen in the coming years.
“It’s easy to mock King Charles on CNN, who was widely criticized and canceled,” Ourand said.
“They haven’t given up on the idea that he can do something with the right amount of support and promotion that can be successful and that goes beyond sports and entertainment.”
Barkley has been highly critical of the NBA’s new broadcast deal since it was announced last week.
Highest contracts in NBA history
- Jayson TatumCeltics – 5 years, $314 million
- Jaylen BrownCeltics – 5 years, $285.4 million
- Nikola JokicNuggets – 5 years, $276.1 million
- Bradley BealSuns – 5 years, $251 million (signed with Washington)
- Antonio EduardoTimberwolves – 5 years, US$244.6 million
Tyrese HaliburtonPacers – 5 years, $244.6 million
Per Spotrac
The NBA announced it has signed 11-year deals to stream games on Amazon Prime Video, Disney and NBC.
“Clearly the NBA wanted to break up with us from the start,” Barkley wrote on social media.
“I’m not sure TNT had a chance. TNT matched the money.
“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.
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