The NBA may be leaving TNT after next season, but apparently Charles Barkley is staying put.
The network’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, said in a statement Tuesday that “TNT Sports and Charles Barkley today reaffirmed his long-term commitment that will see the broadcasting icon and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer exclusively contribute to TNT Sports for many years to come.”
Barkley is a basketball Hall of Famer who has become a mainstay the last 24 years as an analyst on TNT’s popular studio show, “Inside the NBA,” alongside Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal. Last month, the NBA snubbed TNT in its new media rights deal, which starts with the 2025-26 season.
Read more: Warner Bros. Discovery sues NBA over new media rights deal, saying it matched Amazon
Warner Bros. Discovery has challenged that decision with a lawsuit filed in New York Supreme Court.
Earlier this year, Barkley had criticized the way his employers were handling their negotiations with the NBA. In June, he announced his intention to retire from TV after next basketball season, even if TNT managed to keep broadcast rights to the NBA.
After the league awarded those rights to ESPN, NBC and Amazon, Barkley stated on the “Dan Patrick Show” that he was still leaning toward retirement next year but had been listening to offers from the other networks.
On Tuesday, though, Barkley said in a statement that he plans to remain on the network “for years to come.”
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“I love my TNT Sports family. My #1 priority has been and always will be our people and keeping everyone together for as long as possible,” Barkley said. “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.”
TNT Sports chairman and CEO Luis Silberwasser added in the same statement: “We continue to add to the breadth and depth of our sports portfolio — including new properties in the College Football Playoffs, Roland-Garros, NASCAR, Big East college basketball, Mountain West football, among others — and it’s fantastic to have Charles for this journey as we develop new content ideas and shows for our fans.”
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
LA Times
