Barkley Staying with TNT

Charles Barkley, one of the titans of modern media, will not retire and work on his golf game. He will instead remain with TNT Sports for his 25th year and beyond, even after they lose the NBA following this upcoming season, TNT announced Tuesday.

Barkley will continue on his enormous 10-year, $210 million deal. He is in the third season of the contract.
“I love my TNT Sports family,” Barkley, 61, said in a statement. “My #1 priority has been and always will be our people and keeping everyone together for as long as possible.”

“We have the most amazing people, and they are the best at what they do,” his statement continued. “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.”

Barkley has had multiple suiters, including ESPN, Amazon Prime Video and NBC, which will kick off their 11-year, $77 billion agreements after the 2024 campaign. TNT Sports is attempting to maintain their long-standing relationship with the NBA by taking the league to court after the NBA rejected TNT Sports’ offer to match one of the league’s new television deals with Amazon Prime Video.

Just a little over a week ago, Barkley told The Athletic he had not closed the door and was open to staying with TNT Sports if it paid him in full.

“My deal is 10 years, $210 million,” Barkley said in a phone interview at the time. “Turner has to come to me ASAP and they have to guarantee my whole thing or they can offer me a pay cut, which there is no chance of that happening and I’ll be a free agent.”

The two parties now agree that Barkley will not be going anywhere. While TNT Sports is doing everything in its power, in an attempt to hold onto the NBA, Barkley will still be one of their leading men on its NCAA Tournament coverage that TNT Sports collaborates with CBS, while it could explore opportunities with its other sport entities, including the NHL.

The network is also trying to grow its programming on TNT Sports so it does not seem beyond the realm of possibilities that it could either build a new studio show featuring Barkley or try to keep its iconic “Inside The NBA” together even after next year.

“Charles is one of the best and most beloved sportscasters in the history of television,” TNT Sports chairman Luis Silberwasser said. “I know I speak for all the members of the TNT Sports family when I say we are incredibly thrilled to share this mutual commitment to continue showcasing Charles’ one-of-a-kind talents and entertain fans well into the future.

“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.”