Charles Barkley to Stay With TNT Sports Even Without NBA, So What Else Could Sir Charles Do?
Barkley promised earlier this year to retire if WBD lost its NBA package, but it appears he’s changed his mind.
Arguably the loudest outcry about TNT potentially losing its NBA rights package to Prime Video starting in 2025 has been generated by fans who are upset about the presumed loss of “Inside the NBA.” The popular studio show hosted by Ernie Johnson and featuring Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kenny Smith has been a mainstay of TNT’s NBA coverage for years, but it appeared doomed earlier this summer when Barkley pledged to retire after the 2024-25 season. It seems that Sir Charles has now changed his mind as he released a statement earlier this week pledging to stick with TNT for the long haul.
Key Details:
- Barkley’s statement included a line saying he would remain with TNT Sports for “multiple years to come.”
- NBC and Amazon have both called Barkley to gauge his interest in defecting when they acquire NBA packages in 2025.
- Warner Bros. Discovery has added a new lineup of live sports options in recent months, as well as more sports programming on truTV.
Barkley has not been shy about voicing his frustrations in TNT’s complex process of NBA negotiations. He has attacked Warner Bros. Discovery executives as “clowns” and “fools” for potentially allowing the NBA to get away, and has also gone after league officials for chasing the money by choosing to shift games off TNT and onto Amazon.
In June, Barkley said he was retiring after the 2024-25 NBA season, whether TNT managed to claw back a rights package or not. That fate looked all but sealed when the NBA announced it had finalized deals with ESPN, NBC, and Prime Video, and even a lawsuit by WBD claiming its matching rights were improperly rejected by the league didn’t give much hope that Barkley’s mind could be changed.
But on Tuesday, Barkley shocked the sports world by essentially taking back his pledge to retire next year.
“I love my TNT Sports family,” the Emmy-winning host wrote. “My #1 priority has 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’m looking forward to continuing to work with them both on the shows we currently have and new ones we develop together in the future. This is the only place for me. I have to say … I’ve been impressed by the leadership team who is fighting hard and have been aggressive in adding new properties to TNT Sports, which I am very excited about. I appreciate them and all of my colleagues for their continued support, and most importantly our fans. I’m going to give my all as we keep them entertained for years to come.”
Barkley has said in various media appearances that he’s been approached by NBC and Amazon to potentially join their broadcasting teams when they assume NBA distribution duties, which is something I wrote about as a possibility in May. Barkley has an opt-out clause in his contract with TNT that allows him to depart the company if it loses NBA rights, but it appears he won’t be exercising that clause, at least for now.
What Could Barkley’s Role Be if WBD Does Lose NBA Rights?
Many legal experts believe the NBA stands a good chance of prevailing in its battle with WBD over who will get the “C” package of rights, and that TNT has little chance of keeping live NBA games past this season. That begs the question of what Barkley — and potentially the rest of the “Inside the NBA” team — will do for the channel once the NBA departs.
There are still plenty of options for WBD to put Barkley and his crewmates in front of the camera to talk sports, however. WBD has acquired the rights to numerous new sporting events in recent months, including Mountain West football, select College Football Playoff games, Big East basketball starting in 2025, NASCAR races and more. WBD has already launched a nightly bloc of sports programming on truTV which could be a perfect fit for Barkley in the future.
The “Inside the NBA” crew signed 10-year extensions of their deals in 2022, so it wouldn’t be unthinkable if TNT continued the show, just without the actual rights to games. The show already serves as a pregame show, so if WBD just maintained that time slot without the halftime analysis aspect, it could still be a must-watch for fans. However, if the crew adapted the show just a little bit, “Inside the NBA” could become a more valuable streaming property.
If Ernie, Charles, Shaq, and Kenny pivoted a bit and did more interviews, features, and pre-recorded segments that revolved around the sport and its players without focusing specifically on upcoming game action, episodes could have longer shelf lives on Max.
Another way to keep Charles and company turning out hours of basketball content would be to have them focus more on college hoops. The members of the “Inside the NBA” team have long moonlit as college basketball analysts during March Madness. Maybe WBD could give them an “Inside College Basketball” Max-exclusive show throughout the season to help drive more people to the streaming service. Now that TNT will be airing Big East men’s and women’s basketball games, perhaps the “Inside the NBA” crew will handle the pre and postgame, as well as halftime, studio duties for some of those games.
While all of those basketball-focused responsibilities are certainly possible for the whole of the “Inside the NBA” team, it’s clear that Sir Charles is the most important member of the crew in WBD’s eyes. On the company’s cable news network CNN, Barkley and Gayle King had a short-lived show “King Charles” from November 2023 to April 2024. While that news-talk series didn’t last long, it is clear that WBD believes that Barkley has value outside the world of basketball. The NBA Hall of Famer and avid — if not comically bad — golfer has been a part of TNT's special golf events, and he will undoubtedly continue to be a presence on new installments of “The Match” in the future.
But where else could Sir Charles pop up across TNT’s portfolio of sports? Just this week, it was announced that truTV will broadcast five consecutive Fridays of the fun-loving, non-traditional baseball of the Savannah Bananas. Given Barkley’s penchant for silliness, it would make sense if WBD had him in the booth or on the field to add to the frivolity.
When Will Savannah Bananas Games Be on truTV?
| Date | Time (ET) | Stadium | Location | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, Aug. 16 | 7 p.m. | Harbor Park Stadium | Norfolk, VA | truTV |
| Friday, Aug. 23 | 7 p.m. | Historic Grayson Stadium | Savannah, GA | truTV |
| Friday, Aug. 30 | 9 p.m. | Smith’s Ballpark | Salt Lake City, UT | truTV |
| Friday, Sept. 6 | 8 p.m. | Principal Park | Des Moines, IA | truTV |
| Friday, Sept. 13 | 7 p.m. | Historic Grayson Stadium | Savannah, GA | truTV |
With TNT sublicensing College Football Playoff games from ESPN, it could make sense to have Barkley host an alternate broadcast of those games as well. The entire “Inside the NBA” crew did an alt-cast for the NBA All-Star Game in 2022, so why not have them bring their brand of fun to truTV for a different look at those CFP first round games?
There are plenty of options on the table, and Barkley could still change his mind and exercise his opt-out clause after the season ends. But for right now, it looks like Barkley will be sticking by TNT Sports, regardless of whether the channel loses its NBA rights.
Max
Max is a subscription video streaming service that gives access to the full HBO library, along with exclusive Max Originals. There are hubs for content from TLC, HGTV, Food Network, Discovery, TCM, Cartoon Network, Travel Channel, ID, and more. Watch hit series like “The Last of Us,” “House of the Dragon,” “Succession,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” and more. Thanks to the B/R Sports add-on, users can watch NBA, MLB, NHL, March Madness, and NASCAR events.