While reuniting with his former teammate, Charles Barkley got candid about a longtime dream coming true thanks to ESPN. Sir Charles has a lot of grievances with TNT and ESPN. Now as he gears up for his favorite time of the year, he tells Tim McCormick about getting the opportunity to work with the legendary sportscaster, Dick Vitale. He told his former Rockets teammate that Vitale’s inspiring love for the game is part of the reason he still gets to cover college basketball with him. Speaking from Dayton on the GO BLUE HOOPS podcast ahead, Barkley provided a poignant update on the health and indomitable spirit of broadcasting icon Dick Vitale.

After a 13-year pursuit by Barkley to work alongside Dickie V, the dream finally materialized this March, but it came with a heavy perspective on the 86-year-old’s daily battle. They’re going to share the booth for the NCAA Final Four coverage in March Madness. Barkley was amazed at his refusal to step away from the microphone.

“You know, his health is not great,” Barkley told McCormick, describing the toll of Vitale’s recent medical hurdles. “You know, Tim, he’s pretty much only able to talk like one day a week, which is incredible. And he has to save all his energy ’cause he had some type of surgery. I mean, he beat cancer four times.”

Chuck admitted that despite their long friendship, he was unaware of the full extent of Vitale’s resilience until they teamed up for the Indiana-Kentucky game last December. When Barkley asked why the Hall-of-Famer continues to push himself through such exhaustion, Vitale’s response was pretty straightforward. “Dude, I’d die if I didn’t cover college basketball.”

That turned out to be a very sobering lesson to Sir Charles. who famously claims he’d not work past 60 or 70 years. He’s 63 now and still claims he’d not be on Inside the NBA till the eight years remaining on his 10-year contract expires. Despite his annoyance for ESPN’s way of doing things, he’s glad he at least got to work with Dick Vitale before he retires thanks to them.

ESPN finally came through for Charles Barkley

The update comes as the duo prepares to call the Texas vs. NC State matchup tonight, marking Dick Vitale’s first-ever on-air assignment for an NCAA Tournament game. This is nothing short of an historic opportunity which was previously hindered by network exclusivity between ESPN and CBS/TNT.

Chuckster’s been on March Madness with Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson through TNT’s and CBS’s media rights package. However, without NCAA tournaments in its library, Vitale only called regular college games. An ESPN executive took the initiative to give Charles Barkley his dream after Inside the NBA was licensed to ESPN.

Even the timing couldn’t be more perfect. Vitale confirmed he is cancer-free after a four-year battle with melanoma, lymphoma, and vocal cord cancer. He went to work and called games throughout his fight. He’s on a restricted schedule to rest his vocal cords but still works one game a week.

Barkley noted that Vitale’s presence is a reminder of the profound debt they both feel toward the sport. “Man, basketball has given me way more than I deserve,” Chuck repeated one of his famo s lines after Vitale’s response.

He emphasized that their careers as athletes and broadcasters are a privilege compared to the “real jobs” held by those in public service. He reflected on his journey from a small town to the global stage, using Vitale’s perseverance as the ultimate example of passion.