Charles Barkley anoints TNT after being blindsided by ESPN ‘Inside the NBA’ move.
In the field of sports news, surprising news has emerged that TNT’s popular pre- and post-game basketball show “Inside the NBA” will be moving to ESPN.
One of its stars was as shocked as the rest of us after finding out when everyone did.
Charles Barkley, who stars on “Inside the NBA” alongside Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kenny “The Jet” Smith, recently said there was no word from Warner Bros’ Discovery’s Turner Sports about leaving before he learned when the news broke.
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Charles Barkley signs autographs during the In-Season Tournament game between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Los Angeles Lakers on December 7, 2023 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. (NBA/NBAE photos via Getty Images)
“I’ll tell you something exciting,” Barkley said on “The Bettor Angle” on the BetQL network. “They didn’t even tell us that we lost to the NBA.
“We got to hear it in the media. And this is a little bit about ABC/ESPN, I heard about it on the Internet. Scott Van Pelt, Brian Windhorst, Elle Duncan, Bob Myers, all my dear whine friends. . They sent me a message to welcome me into the family of ESPN I’m like, ‘What happened?’ TNT was not respectful.”
CHARLES BARKLEY SAYS HE REJECTED ‘$100 MILLION DETAILS’ TO STAY WITH TNT
Barkley added that it sounds like the “Inside the NBA” team is “sold out,” but considering his time in the NBA, it’s normal to let that person know before breaking the news.
“If I were to trade someone I respect and appreciate, I would at least talk to him,” he said. “I wouldn’t let them hear about it from other people or on the Internet.”
Before the move, Barkley had been vocal about Turner Sports’ split with its NBA media rights, with “Inside the NBA,” a show the popular quartet has been a part of since 2000, likely closing up shop.
Jan 21, 2023; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Former Phoenix Suns player Charles Barkley was in attendance at the Footprint Center. (Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)
Back in August, after the NBA signed a new media rights deal with ESPN, NBC and Amazon Prime, Barkley said he could go anywhere, but he wanted to stay with the team he’s known for more than two decades. He later retracted his statement that this season would be his last, saying he wanted to work with TNT leaders to develop new programs and other sports content.
TNT realized it couldn’t match a new deal, leading to a lawsuit that was eventually settled with both sides entering multi-year deals that would continue “Within the NBA.”
Then, ESPN confirmed the reports last week, saying that an agreement was made with TNT Sports where, unless the show is on the way, TNT will continue to independently produce the program from its studios in Atlanta with a strong foursome. However, it will air on ESPN and ABC beginning in the 2025-26 season.
TNT basketball analyst Charles Barkley on air before the NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament Final Four game between the Purdue Boilermakers and the North Carolina State Wolfpack at State Farm Stadium on April 06, 2024 in Glendale, Arizona. (Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
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Next season begins an 11-year extension of media rights that ESPN has with the NBA.
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