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[Saba Sports News] During the NBA Finals, Charles Barkley stated he would retire from television after the 2024-25 season if TNT lost its NBA broadcast rights. While TNT has indeed lost these rights, Barkley is now open to working elsewhere.
Barkley told Andrew Marchand of The Athletic that he will retire if Turner guarantees his entire 10-year, $210 million contract. If not, he is open to offers from ESPN, NBC, and Amazon Prime Video.
“My deal is 10 years, $210 million,” Barkley said. “Turner has to come to me ASAP and guarantee my whole thing or they can offer me a pay cut, which there is no chance of that happening, and I’ll be a free agent.
“My thing was, ‘Wait, y’all messed up, I didn’t mess up, why do I have to take a pay cut?’”
Barkley, currently in the third year of his contract, is essentially asking Turner to pay him $21 million annually for over half a decade despite losing NBA rights. This scenario seems unlikely, increasing the chances of Barkley becoming a broadcasting free agent. He emphasized that he still plans to retire but would be open to hearing other offers.
“Right now, I’m planning on retiring,” Barkley said. “I’m not trying to do anything.”
Barkley also expressed reluctance to broadcast elsewhere without the “Inside the NBA” team of Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Shaquille O’Neal, and the behind-the-scenes crew. Marchand noted a potential scenario where a different network might allow the entire crew to continue their show from Atlanta.
Earlier, Barkley criticized the NBA and its owners for perceived greed in the new TV deal. Despite his criticisms, he may not be done with the league just yet.