NBA Analyst Charles Barkley has never been one to mince his words while standing up for himself. The same happened during the mid to late 2010s, on an episode of ‘NBA on TNT’, after a comment made by a fan online was shown to all analysts on the giant screen in the studio. The user took a dig at Chuck for his flawed pre-game predictions that often tend to be incorrect. However, the 1993 MVP responded to the comment hilariously, flexing the exorbitant salary he is paid to do his job.
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The incident happened long before Barkley’s brand new deal with TNT, which he signed last year. Chuck is set to earn around $200 million with his new deal if he sticks around for the full tenure.
Charles Barkley flexed his salary hilariously while replying to a fan’s dig
During a segment on ‘NBA on TNT’ years ago, Charles Barkley and his fellow analysts were shown a funny fan comment, that took a dig at the Chuckster’s NBA analysis on live TV. The comment read,
“If Charles Barkley can get PAID for TALKING about things on TV, you can do anything”
After reading the comment, Chuck was evidently taken aback, but being his usual self, the former Phoenix Suns power forward hilariously came up with an appropriate comeback. Flexing his exorbitant TV salary, the 11-time All-Star replied,
“I don’t get paid, I get REALLY paid!”
The comment was aimed at Chuck because the analyst is known to often miss his mark with his hot takes. For instance, last season, Barkley stated that the Sacramento Kings would defeat the Warriors to go to the Western Conference Finals. However, after the Warriors wiped the floor with the Kings in Game 7, he was trolled by fans on X.
However, there is little doubt about the kind of money these former NBA stars make for analyzing the games of athletes on TV. Barkley has been with ‘TNT’ for well over two decades now. He is known for his bold takes, even making fun of athletes’ hairstyle choices on occasions. His last deal offered him $10 million per season, tenured to be for 10 years.
With three years still remaining in his deal, last year, Chuck signed another 10-year deal with TNT, which allegedly amounts to north of $200 million. However, keeping aside the financial perks, sports analysts like Chuck often face a lot of hate on social media for their statements on the show. Though it’s part of their job, Chuck even cited this as a reason for not joining X (formerly Twitter).
Chuck once cited “hate” as a reason to avoid posting on social media
While talking to CNBC, Charles Barkley explained the reason he avoids using social media actively. Although analysts like him enjoy hefty sums of money for giving their takes on games, they also go through a lot of hate from fans who do not agree with their opinions.
Citing this as the reason, Chuck explained,
“I will never tweet. Because, the thing about being in the limelight, you’re like the homecoming queen. All the other girls hate you.”
Barkley explained that rich people don’t like poor people, dumb people don’t like smart people and ugly people don’t like good-looking people, and that’s why there is a lot of hate on social media. Surely, Barkley is not ready to face trolls online, which is usually the case with TV analysts. However, fans should understand that they are just doing their jobs.
