Charles Barkley, the legendary basketball player turned TV analyst, made a big announcement on Friday. He said that no matter what happens with the NBA’s media deals, next season will be his last on television.
Barkley has been a fixture on TNT’s NBA coverage for the past 24 years, working alongside Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kenny Smith on the popular “Inside the NBA” studio show. But now, with the NBA’s current TV deals with ABC-ESPN and Turner Sports set to expire after next season, there’s a lot of uncertainty about where the games will be broadcast in the future.
The NBA has been talking to a bunch of different networks and streaming platforms, like NBC, ESPN, and Amazon, about what the new deals might look like. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said last week that he hopes to have everything figured out and signed soon.
But even if TNT loses the rights to show NBA games, Barkley won’t be moving to another network. He’s been talking to other channels, but he made it clear that he’s sticking with TNT until the end.
“There’s been a lot of noise around our network the last few months,” Barkley said during an appearance on NBA TV after the NBA Finals. “I just want to say I’ve talked to all the other networks, but I ain’t going nowhere other than TNT.”
Barkley’s decision to retire from TV after next season, which will mark his 25th year on the air, is a big deal. He’s one of the most popular and outspoken personalities in sports media, and he would probably have plenty of offers from other networks if he wanted to keep working.
But the 61-year-old Hall of Famer seems ready to move on and “pass the baton” to someone else, maybe one of his TNT colleagues like Vince Carter or Jamal Crawford.
“I have made the decision myself no matter what happens, next year is going to be my last year on television,” Barkley said.
It’s going to be strange to imagine NBA coverage without Charles Barkley’s unique brand of humor, honesty, and analysis. He’s been a huge part of why “Inside the NBA” has been so successful and beloved by fans for so long.
But all good things must come to an end, and Barkley seems at peace with his choice to walk away after one more season.
It’ll be interesting to see how TNT and the NBA world in general react to his upcoming retirement, and who might step up to fill his very large shoes in the studio.
For now, though, fans can look forward to one more year of Charles Barkley doing what he does best: entertaining us, enlightening us, and keeping it real, no matter what.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.