Charles Barkley, 60, says there’s ‘NO CHANCE’ he’ll complete his ten-year, $100 million deal to stay with Inside the NBA, revealing he’d rather spend time with his two grandchildren: ‘There’s no chance I am at work’ when I am 70 – zero’
- Barkley is the grandfather of a boy and a girl, whom he would like to see more often
- He has signed a contract with TNT for the next ten years, but don’t expect it to last that long
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Don’t expect the Round Mound of Rebound to linger at TNT throughout its decade-long $100 million deal.
As Charles Barkley revealed on the SI Media Podcast with Jimmy Traina, the 60-year-old Basketball Hall of Famer has no plans to analyze NBA games as a seventy-year-old.
‘There’s no chance I’ll be working when I’m seventy. Zero,” Barkley said. “But (Turner Sports) said, ‘Hey, let’s just let people think you’re sticking around. ”
“I’ll be honest with you,” he continued. “The only thing that keeps me up at night is figuring out when it’s the best time to run away.” Because the one thing you don’t want is to stay too long.
“What’s interesting is I can’t believe I’ve been doing this for 23 years,” he continued. ‘That’s the funny thing. I mean that’s a long time. So what really keeps me up at night, to be honest, and I don’t know the right or wrong answer, is when is the best time to run away?’
Charles Barkley, 60, doesn’t expect to work into his 70s despite what’s in his contract
Along with Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson, Barkley is a key figure for TNT’s popular Inside the NBA studio show, serving as a pre-, halftime and post-game accompaniment to the network’s nationally televised games. .
His level-headed analysis, performed in his famous Alabama accent, has made Barkley a favorite among hoops fans. He’s also received interest from the incipient LIV Golf tour, and in April, TNT’s sister station, CNN, announced that the former Auburn star will host a weekly talk show alongside Gayle King.
But while he seems to be getting busier at 60, the grandfather of two says he appreciates spending time with his family these days.
“I’ll tell you this, two of my mentors are Ernie Johnson and (CBS analyst) Clark Kellogg,” Barkley told Traina. “And they told me that being a grandfather would be the most beautiful thing in the world. And let me tell you something, they are right.
Nikola Jokic chats with Barkley and his TNT co-stars during the NBA Finals on June 1
“I mean, little Henry and the little girl, they’re new. Henry is 16 months old, and little Charlie is about five months old, and it’s by far the best thing that ever happened to me in my life. Henry starts walking and running, and Charlie is clearly still a newbie, but when they’re 8, 9, 10, I want to be around them. But like I said, I won’t be around when they get older.’
Barkley recently lost about 50 pounds through the use of the controversial drugs Ozempic and Mounjara, which are intended to treat diabetes but are also prescribed “off-label” by doctors to combat obesity.
He hopes the weight loss will help him spend more time with the grandchildren.
“Like I said, I don’t even worry about death. I’m not morbid, but I want to spend time with them while I can, and that’s my main motivation,” he said.