The NBA opting not to extend its partnership with TNT beyond the 2024-25 season seemingly marked the end of the run of its hit show, Inside the NBA. However, in a surprising development, Charles Barkley revealed that the network is figuring out ways to keep it on the air. The Hall of Famer is ecstatic about it but had to make a massive sacrifice, which he claims is in nine figures.
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During an appearance on the Dan Le Batard Show, the Suns icon said he turned down lucrative offers from other broadcasters to stick with TNT. He explained that his exit would’ve led to a mass layoff at the network and he wanted to ensure everyone who worked on Inside the NBA remained employed. Barkley said,
“The number one thing for me is my people at Turner get to keep their jobs for at least another year. That’s all I was concerned with.”
When asked how big the offers he turned down were, he responded, “A minimum of $100 million.“
Charles Barkley says he left $100 million on the table to return to Turner Sports so his people there could keep their jobs for another year
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— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 13, 2024
Barkley expressed his gratitude to the network executives who contacted him and offered him incredible deals to lure him away from TNT. However, the Hall of Famer couldn’t turn his back on the Inside the NBA crew and decided to stay with the network.
While the show can cover the league for another year, its future beyond it remains uncertain. However, the Suns icon spilled the beans on the new direction the show could pivot to in 2025.
Charles Barkley hinted at a rebrand of Inside The NBA
Amidst all the uncertainties, one thing is clear the NBA will leave TNT and move to Amazon at the start of the 2025-26 season. That leaves Inside the NBA in limbo, as they’d have nothing to cover.
However, reports emerged that the network is working on rebranding the show and potentially becoming a multi-sport analysis program featuring the same quartet. When Dan Patrick asked Barkley if there was any truth to the rumor, he suggested it was possible. He also quipped,
“I don’t know anything about tennis, but I know we (TNT) just got the French Open.”
Barkley had claimed he’d retire from TV at the end of the NBA’s stint on TNT in 2025. However, his concern for his co-workers on Inside the NBA and the network’s insistence that they’d chart an interesting future for the show prompted him to make a U-turn.
It remains to be what the future holds for the hit show. For now, its fans can take solace in knowing that Barkley is committed to keeping it alive.
