TNT Sports is the home of the heralded award-winning studio program, Inside the NBA, which features Ernie Johnson, Kenny “The Jet” Smith, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal. The show has been keeping audiences informed and entertained for years, frequently producing memorable moments through segments filled with revelry and debate.
As negotiations surrounding the future television media rights of the NBA continue though, reports have indicated that the league will return to The Walt Disney Company (ESPN/ABC) and also add a streaming partner in Amazon Prime Video. Indications have pointed to the league wanting to have three packages, and NBC is reportedly prepared to bid $2.5 billion for a slate of games to once again be in business with the league, as first reported by The Wall Street Journal. This would presumably leave Warner Bros. Discovery behind, which airs games on TNT, TBS and truTV while also having digital distribution through Max, Bleacher Report and House of Highlights.
Barkley, who has been with Warner Bros. Discovery since 2000 as a studio analyst, signed a new 10-year contract last year coinciding with his colleagues. Yet if the company was to lose rights in broadcasting games for the league, he has a clause in his contract that would make him a free agent and able to explore opportunities elsewhere. While appearing on The Really Big Show on ESPN 850 Cleveland, Barkley explained what he did in contract negotiations to safeguard against such a reality.
“I just signed a 10-year deal two years ago, but one of the things I did [is] I put an opt-out after a couple of years because I wanted to make sure I covered my ass when it comes to this situation – if I wanted to go to Amazon because we thought it was going to be Apple to be honest with you,” Barkley said. “So the one thing I did in my new contract – I’m two years into a 10-year deal, and when I [sat] down, I said, ‘Wait a minute now. If you guys lose the NBA, I want to make sure I can get out of here,’ so I am actually in a really great position.”
Barkley explained that he did not realize NBC was going to make a bid for the league and reiterated that he had the opt-out in his contract. He also stated that TNT has been great to him and that the provision was a business decision rather than being something personal. In fact, Barkley referenced the character Nino Brown from the movie “New Jack City” as he expressed that sentiment on the airwaves. Barkley is not worried about what is happening; instead, he is sitting back and waiting to see what happens next. Show co-host Tony Rizzo then asked him if he would be willing to leave for another network, to which he replied, “Hell yeah.”
“The most important thing for me was, ‘Okay, if y’all lose the NBA, I want to make sure I can walk away, no feelings’ because TNT, like I say, they’ve been great to me,” Barkley explained. “I love working at TNT, but listen, I always cover myself, and I made sure [of] that because we want back and forth – me and my agent and TNT.”
