Charles Barkley says he won’t retire and will stay with TNT Sports even if they don’t have the NBA

Charles Barkley intends to stay with TNT Sports until the end of his contract.

The Hall of Fame player announced Tuesday that he will not retire next season, reversing a declaration he made in June during the NBA Finals.

Barkley said at the time that the 2024-25 season can be his last on television, no matter what ultimately happens with the NBA’s media negotiations. In 2022, he signed a 10-year contract extension with TNT Sports.

Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of TNT Sports, is suing the NBA in New York state court after the league didn’t accept the company’s compensatory offer for considered one of the packages in a brand new 11-year media rights deal that will begin with the 2025-26 season.

“I love my TNT Sports family. 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 look forward to continuing to work with them on both the shows we have now and the new shows we develop together in the future. This is the only place for me,” Barkley said in a press release. “I have to say… I am so impressed with the leadership team who are fighting hard and aggressively adding new products 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 will give it my all to entertain them for years to come.”

ESPN/ABC, NBC and Amazon Prime Video were expected to attempt to court Barkley ahead of Tuesday’s announcement. “Inside the NBA” host Ernie Johnson also said he intends to stay with TNT, but the futures of Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith remain uncertain.

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Barkley joined TNT in 2000 and was a part of the iconic “Inside the NBA” show, which won 21 Sports Emmy Awards and set the standard for studio programming. Barkley received his fifth Sports Emmy in May for Outstanding Studio Analyst.

What Barkley’s future looks like if TNT doesn’t have the NBA stays unknown. Turner has had an NBA package since 1984, and games have been on TNT since the network launched in 1988.

However, the relationship began to sour when Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said during an RBC investor conference in November 2022 that Turner and WBD “don’t need to have the NBA.”

TNT Sports also broadcasts the NHL and NCAA men’s basketball tournament from CBS. It recently added the College Football Playoffs, Big East basketball, NASCAR and the French Open.

“Charles is one of the most accomplished and beloved sportscasters in television history. I know I speak for everyone in the TNT Sports family when I say we are incredibly excited to share this mutual commitment to continue showcasing Charles’ unique talents and entertaining fans well into the future,” TNT Sports Chairman and CEO Luis Silberwasser said in a press release. “We continue to expand the breadth and depth of our sports portfolio, and it’s great to have Charles along on this journey as we develop new content and programming ideas for our fans.”

Barkley co-hosted “King Charles,” a weekly talk show on CNN with “CBS Mornings” co-host Gayle King. But the limited series resulted in April after six months.