The NBA may be leaving TNT after next season, but Charles Barkley is apparently sticking around.
The network’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, said in a statement Tuesday that “TNT Sports and Charles Barkley today reaffirmed their long-term commitment that will see the broadcasting icon and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer contribute exclusively to TNT Sports for many years to come.”
Barkley is a basketball Hall of Famer who has become a mainstay over the past 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 broadcast rights deal, which begins with the 2025-26 season.
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 his negotiations with the NBA. In June, he announced his intention to retire from television after the upcoming basketball season, even if TNT managed to keep the NBA broadcast rights.
After the league awarded those rights to ESPN, NBC and Amazon, Barkley said on the “Dan Patrick Show” that he was still leaning toward retiring next year but had been listening to offers from other networks.
However, Barkley said in a statement Tuesday that he plans to remain with the network “for many years to come.” He is in the third year of a 10-year contract worth $210 million.
“I love my TNT Sports family. My number one priority has and always will be our people and keeping everyone together for as long as possible,” Barkley said. “We have the most incredible people and they are the best at what they do. I look forward to continuing to work with them both on the programs 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 grow 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 soccer, among others, and it’s fantastic to have Charles along for the ride as we develop new content ideas and programming for our fans.”
