“Inside the NBA,” widely regarded as the funniest sports show on television, may face an uncertain future if former NBA great Charles Barkley follows through on Friday night’s statement about leaving the show. Barkley, alongside Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith, has been a dominant personality on the popular program for years.
According to ESPN, Barkley, known as the “Round Mound of Rebound” since his days at Auburn, has announced that if he does not continue with “Inside the NBA” after next year, he will not join any other show. The announcement follows CNN’s recent attempt to launch a talk show featuring Barkley and Gayle King. The network hoped that their combined star power could boost its flagging ratings:
“I ain’t going nowhere other than TNT,” Barkley, 61, said on NBATV after the Dallas Mavericks‘ Game 4 victory over the Boston Celtics on Friday night. “But I have made the decision that, no matter what happens, next year is going to be my last year on television. And I just want to say thank you to my NBA family. You guys have been great to me. My heart is full with joy and gratitude.”
The NBA has been negotiating its next media rights deals, which would begin in the 2025-26 season. While the NBA hasn’t announced what the deals will look like, Disney/ABC/ESPN, Amazon, NBC and Warner Bros. Discovery have been vying for what’s reported to be three available packages of games and affiliated content worth an estimated $76 billion to the league over a decade.
If Warner Bros. Discovery is the odd media company out, it would mean the end of games on TNT and no more “Inside the NBA.”
“I hope the NBA stays with TNT, but for me personally, I wanted you guys to hear it from me … I wanted to tell my NBATV and TNT family that I’m not going to another network, but I’m going to pass the baton to either Jamal Crawford or Vince Carter or you Steve [Smith],” Barkley said.
While he has at times shown support for Republican candidates and criticized Democratic policies, Barkley considers himself as an independent these days. Still, he appeared to return to his GOP roots during one episode of his short-lived CNN show, when he criticized Democrats for only focusing on Black communities during election years. “I don’t know, man, other than my ability to dunk a basketball, all my neighbors’ hoods are still the same, our schools are still the same, and that’s why I think Black people are leaving disappointed the Democratic Party,” he remarked.
Barkley’s potential departure from television would make him the second prominent conservative-leaning figure to retire from the media spotlight in recent weeks.
Barkley has been a host on “Inside the NBA” since 2000. He joined the popular sports show shortly after retiring from his professional basketball career.
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Patrick Houck is an avid political enthusiast based out of the Washington, D.C., metro area. His expertise is in campaigns and the use of targeted messaging to persuade voters. When not combing through the latest news, you can find him enjoying the company of family and friends or pursuing his love of photography.
