Unfortunately, Charles Barkley announced that he will retire as a TV analyst after the 2024-25 season. This decision comes in the wake of Turner Sports losing out on the latest media rights deal and its marquee show, Inside the NBA, potentially going off-air after the next season. But, wouldn’t Barkley be able to get a humungous role in any other sports network he wants? Jason Whitlock had a rather odd reason for why the celebrated NBA analyst would avoid working in a network like ESPN.
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As per the controversial commentator, the 61-year-old would want to avoid pursuing a career in any other network because he’d have to face Black American women, who have become major voices on ESPN.
According to Whitlock, if Chuck opts to work with these women, his reputation might be stained if he gets into a heated argument with them. On his Fearless podcast, while labeling them as hateful, the analyst stated,
“Charles Barkley is not going to ESPN or any of these other networks….It certainly will be the case at ESPN, that he’d have to sit on air and argue at some point with some of these hatin’ a** Shaniquas and he aint’ gonna do it. He just tried with Gayle King and it was an enormous flop. He isn’t going to risk his legacy and reputation.”
Charles Barkley is not going to ESPN, or any of these other networks. He knows that no matter where he goes, at some point he will have to sit on air and argue with these hating black women about the NBA. He’s not going to risk his legacy. pic.twitter.com/6Ifu4hLZFC
— Jason Whitlock (@WhitlockJason) June 18, 2024
His guest, Steve Kim, also agreed with the sentiment and argued that Barkley’s experience with Gayle King, on CNN’s King Charles Show, is a case in point of him not being able to work alongside a Black woman. But is there any truth to what they are conveying?
Are these concerns blown out of proportion?
Whitlock and Kim seem incorrect about Barkley leaving the show with Gayle King because she is a Black woman. In fact, the network kept both of them in the dark about the cancellation. Besides, it isn’t like Barkley’s brief talk show stint was his first experience with a black woman. Candace Parker has been a part of Inside the NBA for more than five years and she shares a cordial bond with him.
In November 2023, when Shaq went to call the Milwaukee Bucks-Miami Heat tussle, Chuckster looked at home with Parker who was filling in for the big fella. In fact, he jokingly insinuated replacing the Big Aristotle with the WNBA legend permanently. Apart from that, Barkley was a part of the TNT Alt Cast commentary panel with Taylor Rooks and looked at home with her.
Additionally, Chuck isn’t someone who runs away from uncomfortable situations and is ready to engage in arguments when the need arises. His decision to quit his TV analyst career stems from Inside the NBA potentially bowing out after the 2024-25 season. So, at a professional level, he is feeling a disconnect when mulling pursuing a career elsewhere.
Plus, he had repeatedly shown disdain for ESPN’s contracts and once hilariously proclaimed, “You aren’t gonna work me like a dog and not pay me” when talking about the network. Overall, there is no evidence to suggest that Barkley wants to quit his career as an analyst because he will have to share the space with black women.
