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Charles Barkley addresses ESPN future, reveals latest on NBC and Amazon talks

Brian Jones Profile Picby:Brian Jones•12/18/24•

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Charles Barkley is unsure if he’ll be on Inside the NBA when it moves to ESPN next season. While appearing on The Dan Patrick Show on Wednesday, Barkley said he’s weighing his options, including possibly joining NBC or Amazon.

“I haven’t decided yet,” Barkley said per Awful announcing. “I’m listening to NBC, Amazon. I want to know everything that’s on the table for me before I sign in. I love those guys at ESPN and if we end up there, I’m gonna do the best I possibly can. First of all, they haven’t even given us any type of schedule, whatsoever. But I’d be doing myself a disservice not to meet with NBC, which I have. And meet with Amazon, which I have. And the number one thing I’ve told everybody, ‘Can y’all give me a damn schedule?’”

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Barkley then explained why he’s not sure about being part of the ESPN team. “I love ESPN, I got nothing against them, but I want to know how much I’m going to be working…They’re not gonna work Charles like no damn dog,” he said. “I got nothing but love and respect for ESPN, but I’m taking my time with NBA and Amazon. I want it in writing. How much do y’all think I’m gonna work…I want to know what they’re expecting. Are we gonna have the same schedule? Or are we gonna have to do ABC, ESPN and TNT? Because TNT, I think they originally wanted to keep doing something. So I’m not gonna be doing both.”

Charles Barkley signed a major contract extension with TNT in 2022

Barkley is on Inside the NBA with Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson Jr. The show has been on TNT since its launch in 1989. In November, it was announced that Inside the NBA will appear on ESPN and ABC via a partnership with TNT Sports and the NBA. The agreement is part of a settlement after Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of TNT Sports, sued the NBA after the league did not accept the company’s matching offer for one of the packages of the new 11-year media rights deal.

Barkley has been with the show since 2000 and has won multiple Sports Emmy Awards. In 2022, Barkley siged a 10-year contract extension with TNT Sports.