Charles Barkley RIPS his TNT bosses as ‘Inside the NBA’ faces uncertain future
- Barkley discussed the possibility of moving the show to his production company
- READ MORE: TNT ‘loses NBA rights’ to competitors Amazon, ESPN and Amazon
Charles Barkley has defrauded his bosses at TNT as the hit basketball show “Inside the NBA” faces an uncertain future following reports that ESPN, NBC and Amazon are formalizing billion-dollar contracts with the league.
Appearing Thursday on The Dan Patrick Show, just 24 hours after it was widely announced that Barkley and his co-hosts, Ernie Johnson, Kenny “The Jet” Smith and Shaquille O’Neal, will end their 13-year on-air partnership after the 2024-2025 NBA season, ‘Chuck’ opened up his thoughts on the entire situation.
“Inside the NBA” technically started in 1984, but O’Neal joined the show in 2011.
“Morale sucks, plain and simple,” Barkley, 61, said. “I just feel so sorry for the people I work with, Dan. These people have families. I really feel sorry for them now…
“These people I work with have clearly screwed this thing up and we have no idea what’s going to happen. I’m not feeling well, I’m not going to lie, especially when it came out yesterday and said [TNT] bought college football.”
Ex-NBA star and co-host of ‘Inside the NBA’ Charles Barkley robbed Warner Bros executives
The NBA is in talks for its broadcast rights with ESPN, NBC and Amazon, while snubbed by TNT
David Zaslav – CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery – previously said TNT ‘didn’t need to have the NBA’
On Wednesday, Warner Bros. Discovery’s TNT signed a deal with ESPN for the rights to broadcast the College Football Playoff, which begins this fall. Walt Disney, ESPN’s parent company, said TNT will present two-round matches for two years, including two quarterfinals through the 2028 season.
Earlier this month, CEO David Zaslav said the company was “hopeful” it would reach an agreement with the NBA to keep the league on Max and TNT, after previously arguing that Warner Bros “didn’t need to have the NBA.”
NBA rights are seen as crucial to Warner Bros Discovery’s efforts to drive growth in its streaming business and retain cable customers.
‘Inside the NBA’ first aired in 1984. Shaquille O’Neal joined the show in 2011
Comcast’s NBCUniversal plans to pay an average of about $2.5 billion a year to broadcast a package of NBA games, the Wall Street Journal reported last month.
But the network could face competition from Barkley’s production company, as the former NBA star said he has “talked to the guys” about potentially moving the show to his platform.
“I’d love to do that if we lose it,” Barkley said of the program’s future, adding that “someone on the Internet” recommended the idea.
Additionally, Walt Disney, Warner Bros Discovery and Fox Corp will launch their sports streaming service Venu Sports this fall in an effort to attract younger audiences.