Here’s something Charles Barkley probably never imagined happening. After years of criticizing their schedules, slamming his friends’ firings, and refusing to work like a ‘dog,’ ESPN afforded Chuck the courtesy Turner did not. So he might be starting his permanent role on ESPN on a good note. But not without reminding his bosses how mad they left him. He’s, of course, talking about the entire media rights saga. Chuck continued his year-long tirade, during which he cancelled retirement, on TNT’s mishandling of the situation before heading to ESPN.

While on Pardon My Take, for once, Barkley wasn’t dreading the gloomy sequence of ESPN schedules. Until last year, he claimed he was too old to adapt to a new work environment, yet this time he’s looking forward to the learning curve at ESPN. And he’s the happiest that his colleagues at Studio J in Atlanta get to keep their jobs.

His sudden burst of positivity is a plot twist. Because he also told the hosts, “I ain’t going to lie, it really sucked, really sucked the last couple years, especially the last year.” He very specifically meant the process of negotiating the NBA media package, to losing it to NBC and Amazon.

Contrary to what we’d imagine, Chuck and the Inside Guys got their updates on the situation like the rest of us, through tidbits on the Internet. It created an air of anxiety among the production crew that Chuck blamed on the C-suite of Turner Sports.  “I thought TNT, our bosses, did a sh—- job. They did an awful job of keeping us abreast.”

“I was like, TNT, our bosses, they sucked, plain and simple. They’re like, ‘Yo, man, just tell us, let us know. Shoot us straight… because these are real people.’ We literally were playing golf during the playoffs, looking at the internet. Then one story said we lost it. The next story said we’re still in negotiation… And TNT never came to us like grown folks and said, ‘Hey guys, we’re probably going to lose the NBA,’ which we could have understood,” Barkley said. And he isn’t just saying this on the camera…he said the same thing to the TNT bosses as well.

Right when the unfiltered Charles Barkley was ready to retire from TV, Turner execs met him at his home. They convinced him to stay so they could keep the show running. They didn’t say how they would accomplish that, but promised to keep Inside the NBA on air. How? Chuck would find out later.

Charles Barkley ripped TNT for disrespect

In November 2024, news broke that Warner Bros. Discovery agreed to a licensing deal that would allow ESPN to air Inside the NBA. The show will be filmed from the original headquarters in Atlanta’s Studio J, with the original cast and crew. However, when TNT confirmed this to the media, they apparently skipped telling the new ESPN employees.

“I found out that we got traded to ESPN from ESPN.” No wonder Chuck is still bitter about it. No TNT or ESPN exec, but his longtime ESPN friends unknowingly informed him he’s one of them now. “I’m sitting at home on a Friday night. I get a text ’cause all the rumors in the air. We didn’t know anything… I get a text from Scott Van Pelt, Brian Windhorst, Elle Duncan, and Bob Myers. ‘Welcome me to the family,’ I’m like, ‘What family? What are you talking about? What are you talking about?” Sir Charles revealed.

When TNT finally called, he was disrespected on behalf of his crew, especially longtime Turner Sports employee Ernie Johnson, who joined Inside the NBA in 1990.  “About an hour and a half later, I get a call from TNT. They’re like, ‘Well, the story broke.’ I say, ‘Well, you probably could have gave us a heads up. You’ve known for a couple days… You traded us to ESPN and we had to hear about it on the internet… That’s just not the way you do business… Ernie Johnson deserves [better] because he’s the godfather. Ernie Johnson should not hear he got traded from ESPN from people on the internet.”

When the $76 billion NBA media package was finalized with NBC, Amazon, and ESPN, Chuck was the first to react, even before TNT. He slammed the NBA for not valuing fan sentiment, but didn’t approve of Turner’s litigation against the league. This won’t be the only way Turner would disappoint its longtime stars. While Ernie and Kenny didn’t speak much, Chuck was upset that no one had discussed his $210 million contract going forward for weeks. Reportedly, Shaquille O’Neal was also upset that TNT was focused on acquiring other media packages before ironing out his contract.

The ink is dry on the contracts now, and the same quartet is going to be on ESPN. It remains to be seen if the show maintains its unique identity at ESPN or falls prey to the changing of the guards.