Charles Barkley has said that next season will be his last on TV.
Barkley, who stars in the hugely popular and award-winning studio show “Inside the NBA,” said Friday night that the 2024-25 season will be his last with TNT and that he will not be joining any other network after that.
“I have no plans to go anywhere other than TNT,” Barkley said on NBATV after the Dallas Mavericks’ Game 4 win over the Boston Celtics on Friday night, “but I have decided that no matter what happens, next year will be my last year on television. I want to thank my NBA family. You’ve all done great things for me. My heart is full of joy and gratitude.”
The NBA is in negotiations over its next media rights deal, which begins with the 2025-26 season. The league hasn’t released the terms of the deal, but Disney/ABC/ESPN, Amazon, NBC and Warner Bros. Discovery are competing for a package of three games and related content that could be worth $76 billion to the league over 10 years.
If Warner Bros. Discovery is a maverick media company, that would mean no more games broadcast on TNT and no more “Inside the NBA.”
“I hope the NBA stays on TNT, but personally, I wanted you all to hear from me, to let my NBATV and TNT family know that I’m not going to another network, but I’m passing the baton to either Jamal Crawford or Vince Carter or you, Steve (Smith),” Barkley said.
“But next year I’m retiring after 25 years and I just wanted to say thank you. I wanted to say it to you all first.”
Ahead of the NBA Finals, commissioner Adam Silver called the media rights process “incredibly complicated” based on the technology involved (broadcast, cable, streaming), competing bidders and timelines that stretch into the unpredictable future.
Asked about the potential end of “Inside the NBA,” the sports Emmy Award-winning show featuring host Ernie Johnson and former players Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith and Barkley, when WBD’s contract with the NBA ends next spring, Silver said he sympathizes with the situation.
“[To] “To everyone at Turner Sports, I apologize for this drawn-out process and I know they are committed to their work,” he said. “This is a big part of their identity and their families’ identity and no one likes this kind of uncertainty. I believe it is the responsibility of the league office to finalize these negotiations and bring them to a conclusion as quickly as possible.”
