CNN —
Charles Barkley, the basketball Hall of Famer whose second career as a blunt, no-BS commentator on TNT’s “Inside the NBA” may have eclipsed the heights he reached as a superstar player, announced Friday that next year will be his last on TV.
“I ain’t going nowhere other than TNT. But I have made the decision that no matter what happens, next year is going to be my last year on television,” Barkley said on NBATV, after the Dallas Mavericks’ Game 4 victory over the Boston Celtics. “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 exit coincides with Warner Bros. Discovery’s (WBD) media rights deal with the NBA expiring after next season. WBD, CNN’s parent company, could renew its deal, but NBC and Amazon have reportedly outbid WBD, according to the Wall Street Journal.
A new agreement on which networks or platforms might get NBA rights, including a separate package that will likely continue at ESPN, will likely be announced in the coming weeks.
