Charles Barkley will remain with TNT for the remainder of his 10-year, $210 million contract even though the company will no longer broadcast NBA games after next season.
This comes as a surprise after Barkley announced he would retire at the end of the 2024-25 NBA season.
This also effectively signals the end of a bidding war for Barkley’s services between ESPN, NBC and Amazon, who all showed interest in bringing the Hall of Famer into their ranks for NBA coverage.
“I love my TNT sports family. My number one priority has and always will be our people and keeping everyone together for as long as possible,” Barkley said in a statement.
‘We have the most amazing people and they are the best at what they do. I look forward to continuing to work with them both on the programs we currently have and on new ones we develop together in the future. This is the only place for me.
Charles Barkley will stay at TNT, ending a potential bidding war for his services
Barkley previously promised he would retire from broadcasting after the 2024-25 season.
‘I have to say… I’ve been impressed by the leadership team, who are fighting hard and have been aggressive in adding new properties to TNT Sports, which I’m very excited about.
“I thank them and all my colleagues for their continued support, and most importantly, our fans. I’m going to give it my all to keep them entertained for many years to come.”
Even though it’s on the verge of losing NBA rights, TNT’s parent company, Warner Bros Discovery (WBD), still has plenty of sports to cover, with rights to March Madness and college football, in addition to the NHL and MLB.
WBD sued the NBA after the league rejected the network’s matching offer for the Amazon rights package.
“Following the NBA’s unjustified rejection of our offer to match a third party’s offer, we have taken legal action to enforce our rights,” TNT Sports said in a statement when the lawsuit was announced in late July.
We firmly believe this is not only our contractual right, but also in the best interest of fans who wish to continue watching our industry-leading NBA content with the choice and flexibility we offer them through our widely distributed WBD video distribution platforms, including TNT and Max.
The NBA responded: “Warner Bros. Discovery’s claims are without merit and will be addressed by our attorneys.”
