Charles Barkley Un-Retires From TV And TNT, Surprising Absolutely No One

NBA analyst Charles Barkley along with Warner Bros. Discovery issued statements on Tuesday announcing that the basketball Hall of Famer is un-retiring from TV and TNT.

“I love my TNT Sports family,” Charles Barkley said in a statement. “My number one priority has been and always will be our people and keeping everyone together for as long as possible. We have the most amazing people, and they are the best at what they do.

“I’m looking forward to continuing to work with them both on the shows we currently have and new ones we develop together in the future. This is the only place for me.”

Luis Silberwasser, chairman and CEO of TNT Sports, said in a statement of his own: “Charles is one of the best and most beloved sportscasters in the history of television. I know I speak for all the members of the TNT Sports family when I say we are incredibly thrilled to share this mutual commitment to continue showcasing Charles’s one-of-a-kind talents and entertain fans well into the future.”

Charles also added, “I’ve been impressed by the leadership team who is fighting hard and have been aggressive in adding new properties to TNT Sports, which I am very excited about. I appreciate them and all of my colleagues for their continued support, and most importantly our fans. I’m going to give my all as we keep them entertained for years to come.”

None of this came as much of a surprise to many folks on social media.

“The man is a master at negotiating in public,” college football reporter Stewart Mandel commented.

Perhaps Charles Barkley was able to renegotiate that 10-year, $210 million contract extension he signed with TNT in 2022? Or maybe his emotional retirement speech was merely a ploy to try and force TNT to pay up the money to keep the NBA and his Inside the NBA team on the air past the 2024–2025 season.

Interestingly, TNT announced in July that it had matched the financial package Amazon offered for NBA broadcast rights beginning in 2025-26, but the NBA rejected that proposal, leading to some furious words being directed at the NBA by Sir Charles.

“I’m not sure TNT ever had a chance. TNT matched the money, but the league knows Amazon and these tech companies are the only ones willing to pay for the rights when they double in the future. The NBA didn’t want to piss them off,” said Barkley.

“It’s a sad day when owners and commissioners choose money over the fans. It just sucks.”

What he will be doing for TNT after the 2024–2025 NBA season remains to be seen, but TNT has added the French Open and Big East basketball to go with properties it already has the rights to such as college basketball and football, the NHL, and events like “The Match.”