Charles Barkley will not retire and instead remain with TNT Sports even after it loses the NBA following this upcoming season, TNT announced Tuesday.
Barkley will continue on his 10-year, $210 million contract. He is in the third season of the deal.
“I love my TNT Sports family,” Barkley, 61, 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,” his statement continued. “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.”
While Barkley, co-host of TNT’s “Inside the NBA,” inked a 10-year deal with TNT Sports in 2022, the broadcasting icon announced in June that next year would be his last on TV as questions mounted over the league’s future at the cable outlet.
“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 at the time. “And I just want to say thank you to my NBA family. You guys have been great to me. My heart is full of joy and gratitude.”
The decision by Barkley — who co-hosts the beloved “Inside the NBA” program alongside Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O’Neal — to remain with TNT Sports comes just weeks after Warner Bros. Discovery sued the NBA over its rejection of an offer to match a $1.8 billion.
Barkley’s decision to remain with the company, despite other offers may demonstrate WBD’s confidence that it can win its lawsuit against the NBA or an attempt to hamstring NBCUniversal, Disney and Amazon as the media rivals consider potential offers to the hosts of the TNT broadcast.