“A Shock to You”: Charles Barkley Might Ditch Retirement as TNT’s Inevitable Breakup Triggers Emotional Rant

As much as we try to live in denial about his retirement, Charles Barkley keeps shooting our hopes down with his horrible golf swings. The 76ers legend was on Philly’s airwaves on Takeoff with John Clark and was once again prodded on his retirement plans. He kinda-sorta-maybe put off retirement by stating that while he’s not entertaining any other network, leaving TNT or joining another network will depend on who he gets to work with.

This comes while the NBA Media Rights deal is a step from being set in stone. It’s now on the league’s governor body to approve the contracts with NBC, Amazon, and ESPN. Rumor has it that TNT is possibly negotiating a different package or challenging the new 11-year agreement. But while it’s almost decided that the NBA is going to NBC, John Clark is the nth guy to ask Chuck if he’d consider going to NBC. Contrary to his previous responses, Barkley had a mixed reaction this time.

“Hey, I love NBC. Actually, my old boss runs NBC, Mark Lazarus.” Charles Barkley was referring to the NBC Universal chairman, Mark Lazarus, who previously oversaw Turner’s sports and children media in a major capacity.

Well, Chuck loves working with familiar people. He also cares about the friendships he’s built since 2000. “But, you know, to break in a new crew after 25 years, that would be… especially, John, I’m not a spring chicken, I know that’s a shock to you. But I can say, breaking up our group and us going different directions, that’s not something I’m looking forward to.”

It sounds a lot like when Chuck said he’d be a fool to still be working at 60 while renewing his TNT contract in 2015. He then paraphrased and said he wouldn’t keep working till he was 70. He’s 61 now and announced that he would retire in 2025. Clark, like all of us, can’t accept it, especially when Chuck showed some inclination to it.

Friendships over money for Charles Barkley

In a lengthy retirement announcement during the NBA finals, Charles Barkley said, “I’ve talked to all the other networks, but I ain’t going nowhere other than TNT.” He also said, “I’m not going to another network.” This statement contrasts the uninhibited interest in having the popular Inside Guys on other networks. But Ernie Johnson has other duties at TNT besides basketball, leaving the three NBA pros-turned-analysts to decide their own future.

Chuck has always maintained it would be an all-or-nothing. He told Clark it would be nice to keep working with his friends but adapting to a new network is not on the cards this late in his career. Since announcing his retirement, Barkley has shown no interest in lucrative contracts. It appears that after 25 years, he’s determined to call it a day.