Charles Barkley has been contemplating retirement for years, but this time at 62, he insists he means it and blames TNT for throwing a wrench in those plans. Barkley has been vocal about retiring from TNT nearly as long as he’s been part of the network. Last year, he even announced his retirement, a declaration he quickly reneged on.
In a recent appearance with Mike Missanelli on Philadelphia’s 97.5 The Fanatic, Barkley expressed frustration with his TNT bosses for ruining his retirement plans. “I was gonna retire at 60 and TNT asked me to stay for two more years until they got the contract done,” Barkley said. “I thought that was fair because TNT has been great to me. I didn’t think those idiots were gonna lose the NBA. My original plan was to retire at 62 this year and pass the baton to Vince Carter or Jamal Crawford. I had no idea the people I work for would lose the NBA.”
He continued, expressing concern for his colleagues: “So I said, ‘What are you gonna do?’ They lost the NBA and I was just worried about the people I work with. They apparently traded our show to ESPN, which is a great company. I work one day a week; I enjoy it… I love ESPN, but I’m not going to work three or four days a week. That’s not gonna happen.”
Inside the NBA is moving to ESPN next season under a licensing agreement with TNT Sports, which is set to lose game rights later this year, although the show will still be produced and controlled by TNT Sports. Despite being under contract, Barkley has remained non-committal to future seasons of Inside the NBA. While he may be trying to negotiate a better deal, Barkley claims he’s bothered by the idea of having to work more, although no such demands have been presented to him yet.
If Charles Barkley truly wants to retire, he has that option. Though he may not get to choose who he passes the baton to, he can still retire. Conversely, if he wishes to continue working with the Inside the NBA crew, he can do so thanks to the licensing agreement with ESPN. Whatever decision Barkley ultimately makes, it’s likely he will keep wavering on when, where, and if he wishes to keep working.
