TNT’s Inside the NBA crew is going to be staying together for a good while longer.
While Charles Barkley has long said he’d like to retire at 60 years old, the 59-year-old certainly doesn’t seem to be headed towards retirement just yet, particularly after a dalliance with LIV Golf earlier this year. On Monday, word broke from Andrew Marchand that Barkley would indeed be signing a longterm extension with Warner Media that will keep him there for 10 more years and close to $200 million — provided they retain their NBA rights, which it certainly seems they would if they’re making this kind of commitment.
Barkley currently has three years left on a contract that pays him $10 million per season. His current contract coincides with TNT’s agreement with the NBA deal expiring after the 2024-25 season. If Turner were not to keep the NBA, Barkley could potentially own rights to go work for another network or a digital platform, if Amazon or Apple or others are involved.
The exact amount Barkley will make is not yet known if he fulfills the entire contract, but it will be well in excess of $100 million and could approach $200 million. Barkley could decide to retire from TV before the deal ends.
Marchand also notes that Shaq recently inked a longterm deal and Warner Media has also re-signed Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith, ensuring the Inside crew will be together as long as they want to be, which is great news for fans of the show. Barkley, in particular, felt like the piece most likely to leave, but TNT recognizes his importance to their popularity and went ahead and locked him up for more money and more years, making it much harder for him to walk away from it all.
Warner Media made the news official — although without the details of the exact years and money — shortly after, noting all four members of the desk had reached new long-term extensions, and released statements from all four.
“We’re all a big family. Ernie, Kenny and Shaquille are brothers to me, and I wouldn’t still be here if it wasn’t for them and all the amazing people who work on our show,” said Barkley. “I’m not gonna lie, though, this is a life-altering deal…and I’m blessed to be able to do live television for a living.”
“I always say there are ‘Got to, jobs’ and Get to, jobs,’ and the four of us clearly have ‘Get to, jobs’,” said Johnson. “It’s been a journey of a lifetime to work on this show, with Charles, Kenny and Shaquille at the desk and alongside such an amazingly talented crew behind the scenes. I’m very blessed.”
“You may have heard, I’ve been on a championship team in my day, but there’s nothing quite like this one,” said Smith. “I’ve always wanted to continue doing the show as long as we’re having fun — and we’re still having a LOT of it. I’m excited for the season and many more to come.”
“I’m happy for ‘The Godfather’ and Kenneth… is there someone else I’m forgetting?” O’Neal said. “I’m kidding…love you, Charles. As long as I say, “Are you not entertained?” and the answer is ‘Yes,’ then we’re going to keep this thing going.”
