Charles Barkley announced on Friday that the upcoming season will be his final one on TV, regardless of the NBA’s media deals outcome.
The legendary player has been a studio analyst for TNT for the past 24 years, and there is a possibility that TNT may lose the broadcast rights to NBA after the next season.
However, Barkley has confirmed that he will not be moving to another network no matter where the games are aired.
During NBA TV’s NBA Finals postgame show, Barkley stated, “There’s been a lot of speculation about our network lately, but I want to clarify that I have spoken with other networks, and my loyalty remains with TNT.”
The current deals between the NBA and ABC-ESPN and Turner Sports will expire after the next season, with discussions ongoing with other networks and platforms such as NBC, ESPN, and Amazon. Commissioner Adam Silver expressed hopes to finalize new long-term deals soon.
Barkley, along with his broadcast colleagues Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kenny Smith, have been contemplating their future on the popular “Inside the NBA” studio show. While Barkley would likely attract interest from other networks, he has made the personal decision to retire from television after 25 years and pass the torch to a fellow TNT teammate like Vince Carter or Jamal Crawford.
“I have decided that regardless of the outcome, next season will be my final year on television,” Barkley confirmed.
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