NBA broadcaster Charles Barkley announces retirement timeline
NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley has finally laid out the finish line to his broadcasting career.
During Friday’s NBA TV broadcast of Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics, Barkley said that next season would be his last with the award-winning “Inside the NBA” team.
Want $250 to bet on NBA futures?
“I ain’t going nowhere other than TNT,” Barkley said via ESPN. “But I have made the decision that, no matter what happens, next year is going to be my last year on television. And I just want to say thank you to my NBA family. You guys have been great to me. My heart is full with joy and gratitude.”
Barkley’s comments align with the NBA’s decision to move away from TNT, as the company failed to match the offer to continue working with the league. Instead, the NBA is negotiating deals with Disney, ESPN, Amazon, NBC, Warner Bros, and ABC on contracts that will be worth an estimated $76 billion for the next decade.
All that has led Barkley to move toward retirement after next season.
Read: 76ers’ Joel Embiid Says He’s ‘Getting ‘Ready’ For Team USA
“I hope the NBA stays with TNT, but for me personally, I wanted you guys to hear it from me … I wanted to tell my NBATV and TNT family that I’m not going to another network, but I’m going to pass the baton to either Jamal Crawford or Vince Carter or you Steve [Smith],” Barkley said.
“But next year, I’m going to just retire after 25 years, and I just wanted to say thank you. And I wanted y’all to hear it from me first.”
Charles Barkley has worked for TNT since 2000, when he became an integral part of the “Inside the NBA” broadcast team.
