Charles Barkley To Remain At TNT, Not Retiring

Charles Barkley will not be joining ESPN, NBC or Amazon

Charles Barkley / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Despite the fact that Warner Brothers Discovery will no longer air the NBA after next season, Charles Barkley will remain with the company. Barkley is entering the third year of a 10-year, $210 million contract.

This is quite a twist after Barkley announced that he would retire after the 2024-25 NBA season. It also puts an end to the enormous sweepstakes that would’ve taken place between ESPN, NBC and Amazon for Barkley’s services.

Even without the NBA, WBD has an extensive sports portfolio featuring March Madness, MLB, NHL and college football.

WBD has sued the NBA over the NBA denying the network’s matching offer for Amazon’s package. Even if the result of that lawsuit is the NBA leaves WBD, Barkley will remain with the company.

“I love my TNT Sports family," Barkley said in a statement. "My #1 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. I have to say ... 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.”