Charles Barkley on what he will miss most about Inside the NBA, Celebrating Boys & Girls Club
Charles Barkley has been one of the top sports media personalities for over 20 years, entertaining and informing fans on the TNT NBA show Inside the NBA. And with the show likely entering its final season on TNT, Barkley exclusively spoke to On3 about what he’s going to miss the most about being on the show.
“I just think the people,” Barkley told On3. “You got to understand something, how many of these people I met, they bought their newborns in, then they bought them in on prom night and they came in when they graduated college. And I’ve been there for 24 years. So when you work with somebody for 24 years, they’re part of your family.”
As Barkley mentioned, he has been on the show since 2000, which is right after he retired from the NBA. His work on the show led to him winning five Sports Emmy Awards for “Outstanding Studio Analyst.” But with Warner Bros. Discovery (the media conglomerate that owns TNT), not matching Amazon’s terms with the NBA on a new broadcasting deal, it’s likely the 2024-2025 season will be the last one for Inside the NBA.
Charles Barkley on playing a ‘small little part’ in Boys & Girls Club
As Barkley gets ready for the new season with his co-hosts (Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson Jr.), he had the chance to celebrate the Boys & Girls Club. Last week, Barkley attended the the organization’s National Youth of the Year celebration in Atlanta which is where the Boys & Girls Club of America is located. Six finalists were up for National Youth of the Year (sponsored by Kohl’s and Toyota North America), and Barkley got to know them better at the Kohl’s Gifting Suite ahead of the celebration.
“It’s amazing because we hear so much bad about kids,” Barkley said. “We live in a very noisy world, but man, there’s so much good stuff out there and we need to help these kids become successful. But I love when these kids, just to see them, their personalities, they’re so smart, so energetic. They make me feel good. Like I say, when you watch the news, the first five stories are about how bad people are. When you come to something like this, you’re like, this is amazing. So I’m just glad to play a small little part.”
And when talking about his work with the Boys & Girls Club the Auburn alum said: “I got grandkids now. I’m an old geezer, but to see these young kids, man, it’s inspiring. If you’re not inspired by these kids, there’s something wrong with you. Because like I say, very seldom do we show the good stuff that happens. I’m in the media business, we talk about more negativity than anything we do… When you look at the news, they’ll show like the last feel-good story at the end of the show. I said, oh man, we got a lot of good stuff happening out here and for them to put a highlight on these kids that, that’s awesome.”