NBA analyst Charles Barkley talks on the set before the New York Knicks game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the then Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio on October 25, 2016.
David Dow | National Basketball Federation | Getty Images
Charles Barkley is not retiring and leaving TNT Sports.
The star broadcaster and National Basketball Association Hall of Famer said Tuesday he plans to stick with Warner Bros. Discovery‘s TNT Sports even if the company doesn’t emerge with NBA media rights.
“I look forward to continuing to work together [TNT Sports] both in the shows we have right now and new ones we develop together in the future,” Barkley said in a statement, adding, “This is the only place for me. 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.”
Barkley’s future has become murky given the NBA’s possible departure from TNT after next season.
Warner Bros. Discovery sued the NBA last month to forcefully invoke the company’s matchmaking rights to a package of games slated to be carried on Amazon Prime Video as part of the league’s new media rights deal. The NBA dismissed the Warner Bros. fight as void because the league claimed AmazonHer games are for streaming only service. While Warner Bros. would stream the games on Max, they would also broadcast them on TNT.
TNT Sports owns the media rights for many different sports, including Major League Baseball, the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship, the National Hockey League and the United States Soccer Federation. Starting next year, the company will add NASCAR, the French Open and more than 65 regular-season Big East basketball games.
Warner Bros. Discovery will be home to a number of College Football Playoff games beginning this year. Barkley will play a role in covering some of the events.
“It’s fantastic to have Charles on this journey as we develop new content ideas and shows for our fans,” TNT Sports president and CEO Luis Silberwasser said in the statement.
Barkley is one of the stars of the popular NBA broadcast studio “Inside the NBA,” which debuted after TNT acquired the NBA rights during the 1989-90 season. He said in June that he planned to retire after next season as a broadcaster.
“I’m not going anywhere but TNT,” Barkley he said on June 14. “But I made the decision on my own that, no matter what happens, next year will be my last year on TV.”
Barkley seemed to waver on his decision to retire during one recent appearance on The Dan Patrick Show in late July.
“Everything is on the table,” Barkley said of his future job opportunities.
Barkley signed a 10-year contract with TNT Sports through 2022 and is entering his 25th year with the company. In May, Barkley said he had an opt-out clause in the contract in case TNT lost the NBA rights. This is wrong, according to a person with knowledge of the conventional language. Barkley said last month his deal is worth $210 million over 10 years.
Barkley’s commitment to TNT Sports likely closes the door on reviving “Inside the NBA” for another network if Warner Bros. Discovery did not appear with a toy package as a result of its NBA lawsuit.
