Charles Barkley reportedly earns as much as up to $6 million per annum with TNT, but he says retirement is too alluring to stay 3 more years.
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The 16-year NBA veteran was a first-ballot Hall of Famer during his playing days with the Sixers, Suns and Rockets. He was barely 6’5″ barefoot and is the shortest player to ever lead the NBA in rebounding for a season.
What’s crazier is that he’s built up a career and reputation as a sportscaster that’s unrivaled among retired NBA players. Barkley’s presence has singularly catapulted TNT’s national TV coverage to new heights, leading to a glut of Emmy wins for the whole team.
Chuck’s unabashed demeanour makes for must-watch television, but it also tends to hit the ‘politically incorrect’ buzzer at times. Given how huge his platform is, the Hall of Famer has often been panned for some of his inappropriate comments.
Some of his segments, such as those on San Antonio women, have now been censored by their production crew. He feels threatened by the emergence of a growing trend of such opinions leading to careers getting jeopardized.
Charles Barkley says he may leave TNT before his 3-year deal is up
Barkley hasn’t tired of his repeating his sentiment time and again that he couldn’t care less about cancel culture. He also talks about his growing age and having set aside enough money to stay happily retired for the rest of his life.
However, the instinct to grab that cash with both hands to make a stash is too much of an allure even for a multimillionaire like him. Chuck admits that the job is so good that he feels it’s easy money for him!
“Yeah, that’s a great thing that I’ve been debating, to be honest with you. I’ve been taking one year at a time, the last couple of years. I’ve got 3 years left on my deal, and I’m not sure I’m gonna make it the whole 3 years.”
“But I think, I just think I got to get paid to be honest with you! I just feel bad to be leaving these guys’ money, to be honest with you.”
