Charles Barkley Announced He’s Retiring From TV After Next Year, Whether TNT Gets An NBA Package Or Not

Charles Barkley has been the biggest personality in the NBA media space for the last 24 years working with the NBA on TNT to make Inside the NBA the best studio show in sports. With the NBA apparently close to a new national TV rights deal with ESPN, NBC, and Amazon, the future of Inside and the entire crew is unclear, but the general sense has been Barkley will find himself a new TV home in the future as he has an out in his contract to give himself the opportunity to go elsewhere if TNT lost the NBA.

However, after Game 4 of the NBA Finals, Barkley was on the NBATV set in Dallas and wanted to let the crew and basketball world know that he’s not going to any other network. Instead, Barkley announced he would be retiring after next season, which will be his 25th on television, whether TNT gets a piece of the package or not.

“I just want to say thank you to my entire NBA family. I love you guys. There’s been a lot of noise around our network the last few months, and I just want to say, I talked to all the other networks, but I ain’t going nowhere other than TNT. But, I have made the decision myself, 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 been great to me, my heart is full with joy and gratitude. But, I’m gonna pass the baton at the end of next year, I hope the NBA stays with TNT, but for me personally, I wanted you to hear it from me. Cause I’m not doing anymore interviews. Don’t y’all be calling me, nobody calling me. I’m not talking about this again. But 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 Jamal Crawford or Vince Carter or you, Steve [Smith]. But next year I’m gonna just retire after 25 years, and I just wanted to say thank you. And I wanted y’all to hear it from me first.”

Now, this wouldn’t be the first time Barkley has announced intentions to retire — he rather famously said he wouldn’t do TV past the age of 60 but is now 61. That said, he certainly seems sincere in this statement. If this is the case, next year will be quite the farewell tour for Chuck and Inside the NBA, as the league will be losing one of its biggest voices and personalities from regular programming.

I’d be surprised if Barkley simply rides off in the sunset never to be seen again — and I’m curious to find out how long his “no interviews” stance lasts — but if next year is indeed his last as a regular contributor from weekly NBA television, there will not be a true replacement for him because he is a legitimate 1-of-1. You can bet the other networks will try their best to talk him out of this stance, but if he’s genuinely set on calling it a career in television, he’s a first ballot Hall of Famer behind that desk just as he was on the court.