4 days Ago By Joseph McBride
Charles Barkley has already told ESPN that he won't appear on any shows other than 'Inside the NBA' from next season, when the network acquires the rights from TNT Sports . Since 2000, Barkley has served as a studio analyst for TNT and formed an iconic partnership alongside Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O'Neal . As a collective, they made 'Inside the NBA' one of the most popular basketball shows on television, but ESPN acquired the license after TNT Sports lost its rights following a new 11-year deal worth a combined $76 billion with Amazon, ESPN and NBC.
Barkley initially teased retiring from broadcasting after expressing his loyalty to TNT , but reversed his stance after it was agreed that the show would continue on ESPN and ABC. However, Barkley has since revealed that he told ESPN that he won't appear on their other daily shows. "The ESPN, ABC schedule, I don’t think it’s gonna be crazy.
But we’re not doing all those other damn shows, I want to make that perfectly clear," Barkley said during an episode of ' SI Media With Jimmy Traina .' "It’s an honor and a privilege to work for ESPN, but I’m not gonna be going on First Take, Get Up, SportsCenter, Pat McAfee. That s---’s not going to happen.
That was my first gripe." Several ESPN analysts frequently appear across the network on a number of shows, with Stephen A. Smith one of those who constantly offers his perspective on a number of sports and topics.
For Barkley, his association with ESPN will be 'Inside the NBA' and nothing more. Barkley has seven years remaining on a 10-year extension he signed with TNT Sports in 2022, and he agreed to remain with the show alongside Johnson, Smith, and O'Neal. The quartet is showing no signs of breaking up either, as O'Neal and TNT have agreed to a new long-term contract worth $15 million per year, according to Front Office Sports .
FOS also reported that Smith is expected to sign a new long-term deal with TNT, and though there's no knowledge of an extension for Johnson, he will remain with the show for now. Barkley released a statement once it was confirmed that the entire 'Inside the NBA' crew would stay together, and continue to produce the show from TNT's Atlanta-based studios. "I love my TNT Sports family," Barkley wrote.
"My (number one) 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. "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." Although Barkley is going to be appearing on ESPN, he hasn't held back when it comes to criticizing the network. In March, Barkley slammed ESPN for prioritizing coverage of the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors despite the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder leading their respective conferences.
During a savage rant on TNT Sports, Barkley spoke about the lack of coverage and said: "That’s because them fools on the other network, which we’re going to be working for next year, that’s all they talk about. Y’all talk about the Lakers and the Warriors all the time. "But that’s because you fools on the other network, which we’re gonna become fools next year when we be working on that network, but Oklahoma City and the Cavs been balling for six months.
" Thankfully, for Barkley, the 'Inside the NBA' crew will continue to discuss the topics they feel are relevant. While the agreement means that the show will continue untouched, there will be one major change when it airs on ESPN from next season. The show used to air on Thursdays while on TNT, but will be moved to a Saturday slot on ESPN with some Sunday shows also planned.
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