Broadcast free agency was a “humiliating” experience for Charles Barkley, who gave up “at least $100 million” to return to Turner Sports amid uncertainty over TNT’s NBA slot.
First appearance “Dan Le Batard Show with the Stuggotts” On Tuesday, amid speculation that parent company Warnes Brothers Discovery could lose NBA media rights after the 2024-25 season, Barkley was asked how he felt about his relationship with TNT following his shocking retirement report in June.
“The most important thing to me is that Turner employees have the ability to keep their jobs for at least another year. That’s my concern,” Barclay said.
Le Batard then asked Barclay a question that was likely to involve a nine-figure sum.
“How much money do you think you lost by making that decision out of concern for other people?” Le Batard asked. Barclay replied, “At least $100 million.”
“It was an awesome feeling and I want to thank all the networks that reached out to me. It was really humbling and cool. … Like I said, Dan, when they gave me crazy numbers I was like, ‘Damn,’ but as long as I managed to secure the TNT staff, it was really good. Like I said, they’re paying me to talk about stuff that’s not even about, so I can’t stare at the horse’s mouth that I’m given. If I’d gone to another network, I probably would have had to work a day in earnest,” the Hall of Famer, 61, said.
Barkley has been a commentator for TNT since 2000 and has appeared on “Inside the NBA” alongside Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal.
When reports broke in May that the NBA would finalize new rights deals with Disney, NBC and Amazon starting in 2025-26, the future of the beloved show was left with a big question mark.
A few weeks later, while covering the NBA Finals, Barkley said the 2024-25 season would be his last on television.
“I’ve made a decision for myself that no matter what happens, next year will be my last year on television,” Berkley said, adding that he’s spoken to other networks.
Plans then changed after TNT and Berkeley “reaffirmed their long-term commitment.” In a joint statement It’s been two years since the parties agreed to a 10-year deal earlier this month.
“I love my TNT Sports family and my number one priority has been and will continue to be our staff and keeping everyone together for as long as possible. We have an incredible staff who are the best at what they do and I look forward to continuing to work with them on both the shows we’re currently on the air and new shows we’ll develop together in the future. This is the only place for me,” Barkley said in a statement.
“All I have to say is … I am impressed and very excited by our leadership team who have fought hard and are actively working to add new properties to TNT Sports. I want to thank them and all of my colleagues for their continued support. And most importantly, I want to thank our fans, as we will do all we can to keep them entertained for years to come.”
But the drama surrounding the NBA’s media rights isn’t over yet, as WBD sued the NBA in July over a rights clause in their contract.
TNT matched Amazon’s rights package, a source confirmed to The Washington Post’s Ryan Glaspiegel, but the NBA said the network “did not match” Amazon’s terms.
