Charles Barkley said he plans to retire from television broadcasting following the 2024-25 NBA season.
Barkley, part of TNT Sports’ hugely popular “Inside the NBA” studio show, said during Game 4 of the NBA Finals that he’s going to retire from the show regardless of whether it continues beyond next season or not.
“I have made the decision myself, no matter what happens, next year is gonna be my last year on television,” Barkley said on NBATV. “And I just want to say thank you to my NBA family. You guys have been great to me, my heart is full with joy and gratitude. But I’m gonna pass the baton at the end of next year.”
Barkley added he won’t be joining any other network show after next season.
“There’s been a lot of noise around our network the last few months. And I just want to say – I’ve talked to all the other networks, but I ain’t going nowhere other than TNT,” Barkley said. ” I wanted to tell my NBA and NBATV and TNT family that I’m not going to another network, but I’m gonna pass the baton to either Jamal Crawford or Vince Carter or you Steve [Smith].”
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said the league is finalizing its next media rights deals, which would begin in the 2025-26 season. According to the Wall Street Journal, the league is closing in on deals with Disney/ESPN, NBC and Amazon. If the league closes deals with those three networks, Warner Brothers Discovery (WBD), owner of TNT, could be shut out and herald the end of “Inside the NBA.”
If the Hall of Fame forward does follow through on his pledge, he will conclude more than two decades behind the microphone and he could be in line for a second induction into the Hall of Fame as a broadcaster.
“Next year, I’m gonna just retire after 25 years,” Barkley said. “I just wanted to say thank you, and I wanted y’all to hear it from me first.”