NBA analyst Charles Barkley speaks on the set before the New York Knicks' game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the then-Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, on October 25, 2016.
David Dow | National Basketball Association | Getty Images
Charles Barkley is not retiring and is not leaving TNT Sports.
The star broadcaster and National Basketball Association Hall of Famer said Tuesday that he plans to stay with Warner Bros. Discovery's TNT Sports even if the company does not emerge with NBA broadcast rights.
“I look forward to continuing to work with [TNT Sports] “Both on the shows we currently have and the new ones we will develop together in the future,” Barkley said in a statement. “This is the only place for me. I have to say… I have been impressed by the leadership team who are fighting hard and have been aggressive in adding new properties to TNT Sports, which I am very excited about. I thank them and all of my colleagues for their continued support, and most importantly, our fans. I am going to give it my all to keep them entertained for years to come.”
Barkley's future has become uncertain given the NBA's possible decision to walk away from TNT after next season.
Last month, Warner Bros. Discovery sued the NBA to forcefully invoke the company's matching rights on a package of games destined for Amazon Prime Video as part of the league's new media rights deal. The NBA rejected the Warner Bros. Discovery game as invalid because the league claimed it AmazonThe games will be streamed only. While Warner Bros. Discovery would stream the games on Max, they would also air them on TNT.
TNT Sports owns the rights to broadcast a number of different sports, including Major League Baseball, the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship, the National Hockey League and USA Soccer. Beginning next year, the company will add NASCAR, the French Open and more than 65 regular-season Big East basketball games.
Warner Bros. Discovery will be home to select college football playoff games starting this year. Barkley will be involved in coverage of some of the events.
“It's fantastic to have Charles on this journey as we develop new content ideas and programming for our fans,” TNT Sports President and CEO Luis Silberwasser said in a statement.
Barkley is one of the stars of the popular NBA television show “Inside the NBA,” which debuted after TNT acquired NBA rights during the 1989-90 season. He said in June that he planned to retire as a broadcaster after the upcoming season.
“I'm not going anywhere but TNT,” Barkley said June 14. “But I've made the decision that no matter what happens, next year will be my last year on television.”
Barkley appeared to second-guess his decision to retire during a recent appearance on “The Dan Patrick Show” in late July.
“Everything is on the table,” Barkley said of his future career opportunities.
Barkley signed a 10-year deal with TNT Sports in 2022 and is entering his 25th year with the company. In May, Barkley said he had a buyout clause in the contract in case TNT lost NBA rights. That is incorrect, according to a person with knowledge of the contract language. Barkley said last month that his contract is worth $210 million over 10 years.
Barkley's commitment to TNT Sports likely closes the door on recreating “Inside the NBA” for another network if Warner Bros. Discovery doesn't come up with a package of games as a result of its lawsuit against the NBA.
