Charles Barkley joked about his employment situation during an appearance on ABC on Monday, with his future at TNT still unclear.
The “Inside the NBA” star appeared alongside P.K. Saban, Steve Levy and Mark Messier for the first interval report of the Panthers’ 3-1 win over the Oilers in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, and laughed about his career following recent reports that TNT is on the verge of losing its media rights with the NBA.
“Listen, I wish I had a job next year,” Barkley, 61, began. “I [on] I put my resume on LinkedIn and people said, ‘You’ve never had a proper job.’ I said, ‘That’s not my fault.’”
Barkley, who joined TNT in 2000, spent the night at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla., where he mocked Rangers legend Messier for owing him $5,000 for a delay-of-game penalty he received in a previous exchange.
“He owes me $5,000 and he’s never paid it.” Berkeley said, On the Messier incident: “I called a delay of game. He was sitting courtside in Canada. This is a true story. I said, ‘Umpire, I have to talk to the great Mark Messier.’ He said, ‘Chuck, you’re going to be called for a delay of game.’ I said, ‘No problem.’ I was around him for the first time in my life. He was sitting in the front row and I said I’d pay the fine. So Mark, you pay me $5,000.”
Messier, a six-time Stanley Cup champion, then told Barkley they would settle the matter on the golf course.
The 11-time NBA All-Star not only spent time with the ESPN crew on Monday, but also made an appearance on “Hockey Night in Canada.”
It was during an interview during that game that Barkley accidentally uttered the F-word while complimenting Florida goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky.
“good, [the Oilers] “I played great in Game 1, but we didn’t win. Bobrovsky was awful. Oh, sorry, sorry,” Barkley apologized. “He was great.”
Warning: Explicit language
Despite the uncertainty surrounding “Inside the NBA,” Barkley was in high spirits on Monday.
With NBC, ESPN and Amazon reportedly “closing in” on deals for NBA broadcasting rights, the 2024-25 season could be the last for TNT’s hit show, which also stars Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson.
TNT’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, reportedly passed on re-signing the show for $2.2 billion per season. According to a recent report in the Wall Street Journal:which can be matched with packages from NBC and Amazon.
Barkley continues to criticize TNT executives following recent events.
“Say something. We haven’t discussed it,” Barkley said during an appearance in May. “SI Media with Jimmy Traina” Podcast“It’s not about me, it’s about the people who work there. They’re on edge. Say something so they can breathe a little. I can’t imagine having a family and bills. I’ll probably have to start looking for another job if I’m being realistic. I can’t wait a year to get fired.”
