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Charles Barkley is set to retire from TV at the end of the 2024-25 season, citing his loyalty to TNT and Warner Bros. Discovery as the reason for his decision.
“I wouldn’t feel comfortable going to work for another network,” Barkley said on CNBC. “It’ll be 25 years that I’ve been working with Turner, and I love everybody at Turner. But at this age, to go over and start over, I don’t know if I want to do that.”
Following the NBA’s media rights deals with ESPN, NBCUniversal, and Amazon, speculation arose about Barkley possibly being involved in a bidding war amongst the three companies, but Barkley insisted that money is not a motivating factor for him.
“Hey, if I don’t have enough money by now, I’m the biggest idiot, fool in the world,” Barkley said. “And, hey, seriously, if I don’t have enough money by now, I’ve been so lucky and blessed. I played in the NBA for 15 years. I’ve been on television for 24 years. If I don’t have enough money by now, I’m the biggest loser in the world.”
Barkley’s decision was also influenced by the uncertain future of TNT, with him expressing concern for his colleagues at the network.
“I really feel bad for everybody at TNT — all the people I’ve been working with for the last 24 years, they’re like family to me,” Barkley said. “I honestly, in my heart, I think we have lost the package. This is my honest opinion. But I really hope we get a last-minute reprieve for the people at Turner.”
TNT still has the chance to match the contracts, as reported by The Athletic.
“The CEO of TNT Sports’ parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery’s David Zaslav, has publicly stated he may attempt to use language in the current contract to remain involved with the NBA,” The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reported.
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