The NBA is reportedly formalizing media rights contracts with The Walt Disney Company (ESPN/ABC), NBCUniversal and Amazon’s Prime Video as its new trio of partners. If Warner Bros. Discovery ends up losing broadcasting rights to the NBA, it would mark the first time that a Turner-owned network did not televise league games since the 1984-85 season on TBS. Earlier in the season, TNT Sports reached a multi-year renewal agreement with NBA Hall of Fame forward Reggie Miller to continue serving as one of its analysts on its NBA on TNT coverage.
Miller joined the company in 2005 following his retirement from the NBA after an 18-year career with the Indiana Pacers and has called over 650 national NBA regular season games and NBA Playoffs matchups, along with 14 NBA Conference Finals. Yet he could be looking at his final season as a part of NBA on TNT coverage should the company no longer broadcast NBA games.
While it has been reported that Inside the NBA studio analysts Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny “The Jet” Smith all have opt-out clauses in their contracts if the company no longer broadcasts the NBA, it is unknown if such a provision exists for Miller. Barkley has been a member of NBA on TNT coverage since 2000 and recently announced that next season will be his last on television no matter what happens. Dan Patrick asked Miller if he believed Barkley was genuine in his announcement following Game 4 of the NBA Finals.
“I don’t want to believe it,” Miller said on the Dan Patrick Show. “First of all let me say this – this could be retirement for all of us at Turner network next year.”
Within his retirement announcement, Barkley emphasized that no one should contact him for interviews and was done speaking on the matter. Over the last month, he had appeared on a variety of sports media programming and spoke candidly on the NBA media rights negotiations, his sentiments on how everything unfolded and the potential future of Inside the NBA. Patrick wanted to know if Miller himself had been informed about what is happening behind the scenes as it pertains to the future of the NBA on TNT.
“We are in the dark – we have no idea,” Miller said. “This is way above my pay grade. I’m hoping – I think our leadership is at the table from everything I’m hearing, again, which isn’t a lot, and I hope they’re having – two minutes left in the fourth [quarter] and they’re trying to pull out a win here. It would be nice.”
Throughout the negotiating process, there has been speculation regarding Barkley potentially joining another network if Warner Bros. Discovery lost rights to the NBA. As he revealed his retirement, he divulged that he had spoken with other networks but affirmed that he would never work elsewhere. Miller interpreted Barkley’s decision to reveal his future plans as a means of getting ahead of the story since his name has been circulating with several different possibilities. In fact, he has known Barkley for a long time and understands that he does things on his own accord.
“So if this is his last year – we’ve had conversations [where] I’m like, ‘Look dude, we’re going to go out with a bang,’” Miller said, “so whatever happens at our network – if we do get a piece of the pie and we’re one of the four horseman; or not, if this is our lame-duck year and this is my last year at Turner as well, we’re going to have fun and go out with a bang.”
