Charles Barclay shocked the sports media world after announcing he would retire from broadcasting at the end of the 2024-25 NBA season, much to the dismay of many. The Hall of Fame hooper has since dismissed those comments, saying he plans to remain in the booth for the foreseeable future.
Charles Barkley, 61, shocked viewers during this year's NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks, citing the current turmoil in the media landscape over NBA rights to other networks and reportedly ending the agreement with TNT and Warner Bros. Discovery.
“There's been a lot of buzz around our network the last few months, and I just want to say that I've talked to all the other networks, but I'm not going anywhere but TNT,” Barkley said during a postgame chat during of Final exams.
The comments from “The Chuckster” were fueled by the NBA's expiring deals with ABC/ESPN and Turner Sports, the latter of which Inside the NBA broadcast on the TNT network. As has been widely reported, the NBA has reached deals with NBC, ESPN and Amazon, effectively ending the Turner Sports affiliation, though the company says it will continue to try and retain some rights after next season.
Through a statement, Barkley stated his intentions to work beyond next season while praising his current network:
“I love my TNT Sports family. My (number one) 1 priority has always been and always will be our people and keeping everyone together for as long as possible. We have the most amazing people and they are the best at what they do. I look forward to continuing to work with them both on the shows we currently have and on new ones we develop together in the future. This is the only place for me, Barkley said. “I have to say — I've been impressed with the leadership team that is fighting hard and being aggressive in adding new properties to TNT Sports, which I'm very excited about. I appreciate them and all my colleagues for their continued support, and especially our fans. I'll give it my all as we entertain them for years to come.”
Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns TNT Sports, has filed a lawsuit against the NBA, according to reports Sports Business Journal. In the lawsuit, Warner says the league ignored the company's matching offer, which Warner believes forcibly denied them the opportunity to acquire a package from the NBA.
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Photo: Getty
