{"id":846300,"date":"2026-09-29T02:03:13","date_gmt":"2026-09-29T02:03:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/846300\/"},"modified":"2026-09-29T02:03:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T02:03:13","slug":"charles-barkley-doubles-down-on-retiring-from-inside-the-nba","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/846300\/","title":{"rendered":"Charles Barkley doubles down on retiring from ‘Inside the NBA’"},"content":{"rendered":"

There were NBA Media Days<\/a> galore on Monday, and Charles Barkley got in on the action by doubling down on his intention to make the upcoming 2026-27 NBA season his last on\u00a0Inside the NBA.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m looking forward to this last year,\u201d Barkley said, according to Davis Baker of WSFA 12 News<\/a> in Alabama. \u201cTV has been great to me. I\u2019m gonna take a step back from public life. I\u2019m gonna always come to Auburn, though. I wanted to make that perfectly clear. People ask me, and I say, yeah, I\u2019m stepping back from public life after this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Charles Barkley confirms that this will be his last year on TV doing \u2018Inside the NBA\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to take a step back from public life\u2026I\u2019ve had the greatest life a person can have.\u201d@wsfa12news<\/a> @wsfa12sports<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/jG3zIBGZhB<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Davis Baker (@DavisBakerTV) September 28, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a great run,\u201d Barkley continued. \u201cIt\u2019s been a great journey. I thank everybody for their support all these years, but I\u2019ll be 64 years old. Ernie [Johnson] asked me to stay a couple more years. Last year was one, this year is two. But I feel really good. This is going to be more like a celebration, because, man, I\u2019ve had the greatest life a person can have.\u201d<\/p>\n

Earlier this month, Barkley told Bill Simmons that \u201cnext year is my last year, 100 percent<\/a>\u201d and intimated that Johnson also planned to retire after the upcoming 2026-27 NBA season. Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports<\/a> later reported that \u201cJohnson\u2019s decision is still up in the air<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Barkley has developed a bit of a reputation as the broadcaster who cried wolf in relation to his future on Inside the NBA.<\/p>\n

For years, he has flirted with retiring \u2014 and, at times, dared ESPN<\/a> to fire him<\/a> \u2014 from the iconic show on which he has starred alongside Johnson, Shaquille O\u2019Neal, and Kenny Smith. This year, however, Barkley seems serious about ending a generationally resonant career on his own terms.<\/p>\n

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