@@National Basketball Association

[Axelrod] Charles Barkley says he can leave TNT if it loses its NBA rights

  • May 1, 2024


“I said, ‘If you guys lose the NBA, I want to make sure I can get out of here.’ So I am actually in a really great position,” Barkley said. “We knew it was going to be Amazon and Apple, but we didn’t know NBC was going to come out of the woodwork. But the one thing I particularly did in my contract, I put an opt-out clause in there. Listen, I love TNT, they’ve been great to me… I wanted to make sure that if we lost the NBA in two years, I could be a free agent.”

Asked by host Tony Rizzo if he would be willing to make a move to another network if such a change comes to fruition, Barkley replied: “Hell yeah.”

26 comments

  3. >Asked by host Tony Rizzo if he would be willing to make a move to another network if such a change comes to fruition, Barkley replied: “Hell yeah.”

    My 12/25

  4. I don’t think TNT will let Ernie go. Shaq is mercenary so I could see him leave. I am not sure what would Kenny do. Chuck and Shaq might get picked up by Amazon

  5. This is all i needed to hear. Now get me confirmation that Shaq did something similar and were good.

    Lads dont always hit it with their takes on the game itself, but dma it if they aint entertaining as hell.

  6. Makes sense… I don’t think it would make a ton of sense for Turner to continue to pay him $25m a year or whatever he’s getting if they don’t have any NBA coverage to throw him on.

  9. considering how well they managed the transition for the UK Top Gear guys after their falling out with the BBC without forcing any weird new quirks Amazon Prime might be the best candidate for this.

    Edit: they at least have to get Chuck and Ernie, probably Kenny too. without them its not Inside the NBA

  10. There’s no way Ernie negotiated a deal that precludes him from covering NBA if TNT loses NBA. The entire package is more valuable than broken up. Barkley & Ernie should go together.

  15. I genuinely believe that if Chuck leaves, Ernie will follow suit and vice versa. Kenny soon after. Shaq not included, as he’s just a businessman, and he’ll go wherever the money or opportunity takes him.

    Those first three I mentioned are doing this partly because of the money of course, but also because they love working together. They’ve spent around 25+ years working together, so they’re as close to a genuine family as it gets.

    Ernie and Kenny would still host any March Madness stuff, as they always do, but the NBA coverage side of things would be over. They would basically be semi retired along with Chuck.

  16. It’s only good if Ernie, Kenny, and Shaq and their producers go with him. Inside the NBA is a special show but it requires the team.

  18. TNT should just sell the entire show to NBC if they lose the rights to the NBA. Not just the onscreen talent, but everyone who works there. Otherwise TNT would have no use for those workers anymore and would fire everyone at the exact moment NBC needs to hire a bunch of people with NBA experience. Otherwise, we’re basically going to end up with the same show with a slightly different theme song and set, Top Gear/Grand Tour style.

  20. If NBA on TNT stopped, my viewership would decline. Easily the best sports talk show in any major sport in North America at least

  21. Buying NBA rights and not also buying the TNT desk is such a dumb move tbh

  22. I’m confused. Why wouldn’t Turner put that clause in the contract of all of their NBA specific on-air talent?

  25. How would they use him if no NBA? As color commentary on AEW Dynamite?

  26. They should drop ESPN instead, they’re terrible at sports coverage

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