TNT’s Charles Barkley, who said he was retiring in June, then committed to TNT long-term in August, now says he is — again — listening to NBC and Amazon.
Barkley said on “The Dan Patrick Show” Wednesday that he has not decided yet whether he will move with “Inside the NBA” to ESPN/ABC next season and that he is “listening” to new NBA rights partners NBC and Amazon. “I want to know everything that’s on the table for me if I sign [with ESPN] … I would be doing myself a disservice not to meet with NBC, which I have, or Amazon, which I have.”
As has been the case throughout the process of TNT losing its NBA rights, Barkley expressed displeasure with his bosses at Warner Bros. Discovery for a lack of communication. In particular, he repeatedly voiced concerns about his workload once “Inside” moves to ESPN, saying he has yet to receive a schedule.
“I want it in writing, how much do ya’ll think I’m going to work?” Barkley told Patrick. “I want to know what they’re expecting. Are we going to have the same schedule, or are we going to be ESPN, ABC and TNT? Because TNT, I think they originally wanted to keep doing something. I’m not going to be doing both [TNT and ESPN/ABC]. I’m not going to be doing ABC, ESPN and TNT, that’s not going to happen.”
TNT has given all indication that it plans to continue airing a version of “Inside the NBA” that is not sport-specific, and presumably would involve Barkley and his colleagues Kenny Smith, Shaquille O’Neal and host Ernie Johnson.
Barkley, who has joked on-air that he would never work for ESPN because ‘they’re not going to work him like a dog and not pay him,’ was adamant that he would not work more than two days a week. “If people think I’m going to work three, four days a week, they’re freaking nuts.”
Though Barkley said he has not been given a schedule “in writing,” ESPN in the announcement of its deal to license “Inside” said that the show would air adjacent to all ABC games (Christmas, Saturdays and Sundays), the opening and final weeks of the season, and throughout the playoffs.
In all likelihood, the “Inside” cast would essentially have the first three months of the season off and then work weekends through the end of the regular season, followed by a playoff schedule that will necessarily be less than their current workload given ESPN traditionally airs fewer games.
It would be an understatement to say that Barkley has given mixed signals about his broadcasting future. He has said multiple times over the past decade that he intended to retire from television at the end of his contract, only to sign a new deal. He has in the past year said he was negotiating with other networks, planning to retire from television, or committing to TNT long-term.
