TNT may be on the verge of losing the NBA… and its most famous broadcaster.
Former NBA great Charles Barkley, who co-hosts TNT’s NBA coverage and Inside the NBA postgame show, says he’ll retire from broadcasting at the end of the 2024-25 NBA season. That coincides with the end of TNT’s current rights deal with the NBA, with rumors swirling that TNT may lose those rights to NBC and Amazon in the next deal.
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“I really love TNT, all the people that work here… you guys have been great to me for 24 years,” Barkley said Friday during NBA TV’s postgame coverage of the NBA Finals. “I’ve talked to all the other networks, but I ain’t going nowhere other than TNT. But I have made the decision myself, no matter what happens: Next year’s gonna be my last year on television.”
Barkley went on to say: “My heart is full with joy and gratitude, but I’m gonna pass the baton at the end of next year… I’m not going to another network.”
TNT Sports released a statement in response to Barkley’s announcement: “Charles is a Hall of Famer and broadcasting icon who is and will always be a beloved member of the TNT Sports Family. We’re looking forward to another fantastic NBA on TNT season and further discussion of our future plans with him.”
The announcement comes amid reports that the NBA is on the verge of signing a new multi-billion dollar media rights deal with NBC, Disney and Amazon — a deal that would end the league’s relationship with Turner Sports and TNT that began in 1988. The new deal would begin with the 2025-26 NBA season, with NBC returning to NBA coverage for the first time since 2002. The deal isn’t finalized yet, though, and Turner is reportedly trying to hammer out a last-minute deal to join NBC, Disney and Amazon and broadcast a smaller number of NBA regular season and playoff games.
Barkley joined Turner Sports in 2000 following his retirement from the NBA, serving as analyst and commentator on TNT’s popular Inside the NBA studio show alongside Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal. In the years since, Barkley has become one of the top basketball commentators on TV, winning four Sports Emmys for outstanding studio analyst.
Basketball fans, would the game be the same without Charles Barkley on the mic? Drop your thoughts on the news in a comment below.
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