“I would be lying if we said we weren’t interested in Charles. The entire industry is interested in Charles. So he’s really that special, so we will see.” ESPN’s Burke Magnus called it a “perfect world,” if Charles Barkley ever worked with them. The President of Content made the statement two months ago, and the manifestation worked as the reports state ESPN and ABC have the licensing rights for the Inside the NBA show.

But we all remember the numerous instances where the 76ers legend has been upset with the working culture of ESPN. One such shared clip from the past is doing the rounds, where Charles Barkley dissed the network and the entire crew couldn’t control their laughter.

“Not gonna work me like a dog and not pay me.” Hearing this, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal burst out and the host Ernie Johnson tried to bring the show back on track but failed.

Chuck continued, “They’ll have me on ESPN One, Two, Three, ESPN News, ESPNU, ESPN Radio!” Smith added ESPN Deportes suggesting Barkley must have forgotten that channel. But he didn’t and even showcased his Spanish skills. “They’re gonna have me on ESPN Deportes saying ‘Muy Bien, Gracias!’” Even the caption from the user from X perfectly summarized the clip.

“The Inside the NBA crew talking about what it’d be like if the show was on ESPN was hilarious but now it’s more funny than I ever could’ve imagined.” The throwback clip was from 2016, the aftermath of a matchup between the Golden State Warriors and Oklahoma City Thunder. The good thing about this deal for Charles Barkley is that TNT still holds contractual power, so he won’t be “working like a dog.”

As per the numerous reports, ESPN and ABC will air the ‘Inside the NBA’ show from next season. The league and Warner Bros. Discovery have agreed to a settlement. And TNT Sports will continue to produce the popular studio show, despite it airing on competitor networks. They will broadcast the show from Atlanta as well, except when the show is on the road, like the season opener in Boston.

Charles Barkley was ready to license the show

There was a time when the ‘Inside’ guys were completely unaware of their future. The rest of the crew was quiet about it, as they wanted things to play out. But Charles Barkley made multiple statements throughout the time, from calling out the heads of the network as “fools.” In another statement, he agreed if the deal failed, he was ready to sign the crew with his production company.

“I have talked to the guys about everybody signing with my production company. I would love to do that if [TNT loses the NBA]… we’re just sitting back waiting on these people to figure out what they’re gonna do.” Barkley said on the Dan Patrick Show, which got a lot of support, especially from Pat McAfee.

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The former NFL star runs his own show, which he licensed to ESPN, where his reported fee is $17 million. With licensing, it helps to keep creative control, which is the essence of ‘Inside the NBA‘. Fans would be hoping that the change in network doesn’t hamper their chemistry. Will ESPN allow Charles Barkley to take shots at them? Only time will tell the true extent of the licensing deal.