Charles Barkley is retiring again.
For the last 24 years, the Hall of Fame player has been working as a studio analyst for TNT, and on Friday he announced that next season will be his last on TV, no matter what happens with the NBA’s media deals.
TNT could lose the rights to broadcast NBA games next season, and no matter where they go, Barkley won’t be following.
“There’s been a lot of noise around our network the last few months and I just want to say I’ve talked to all the other networks, but I ain’t going nowhere other than TNT,” Barkley said while working on NBA TV’s NBA Finals postgame show.
The NBA’s current deals with ABC-ESPN and Turner Sports expire after next season and the league has been talking with NBC, ESPN and Amazon, among other networks and platforms, about what comes next. Commissioner Adam Silver said last week he hopes new long-term deals will be completed shortly.
Barkley and broadcast teammates Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith have discussed their uncertain future on their popular “Inside the NBA” studio show. Barkley would seemingly draw interest from any network televising NBA, but the 61-year-old has decided that 25 years will be enough and he will “pass the baton,” hopefully, to a TNT teammate such as Vince Carter or Jamal Crawford.
“But I have made the decision myself no matter what happens, next year is going to be my last year on television,” he said.
Barkley retired from the NBA in 2000 after 16 seasons, playing for the Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns and Houston Rockets.