The Eastern Conference Finals between the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers will mark the final time under its current media rights contract that TNT Sports will be presenting live game broadcasts of the National Basketball Association in the United States. The company will not be one of the U.S. media rights partners under the league’s new 11-year contracts reportedly worth a collective $77 billion with The Walt Disney Company (ESPN/ABC), Comcast Corporation (NBC, Peacock) and Amazon (Prime Video). Charles Barkley, analyst for TNT Sports on Inside the NBA since the turn of the century, has been part of the on-site studio coverage alongside colleagues Ernie Johnson, Kenny “The Jet” Smith and Shaquille O’Neal.
Barkley, on numerous occasions in the past, has referred to the people at ESPN as clowns and revealed that he learned about the sublicensing agreement from ESPN employees themselves. Before the two sides reached a deal or Warner Bros. Discovery officially lost the NBA, Barkley revealed he was retiring from television but ended up reaching a long-term commitment to TNT Sports a few months later.
On top of that, he divulged that he took meetings with Amazon and NBC Sports, divulging that he would inform the latter that he would not be accepting their offer. As it pertains to ESPN specifically, Barkley recently took a different tone when asked by street journalist and standup comic Adam Glyn about his future regarding basketball coverage.
“It’s a great opportunity,” Barkley said. “We just got to figure out how the dynamics, but it’s going to be an honor and a privilege to work for ESPN.”
Barkley and his teammates are expected to continue hosting the show next year when it will be sublicensed to The Walt Disney Company and presented throughout the year. The agreement took place after Warner Bros. Discovery and the NBA reached a settlement over the former’s lawsuit regarding broadcasting rights. Despite airing on Disney platforms starting next year, the cast of Inside the NBA are going to remain Warner Bros. Discovery employees and could be involved in other projects for the company going forward, such as an Inside Sports show in development for next season. TNT Sports and its brand portfolio is also receiving a global license enabling it to create, produce and distribute content featuring new and existing NBA footage.
Throughout the playoffs, Barkley is also working alongside Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green. The four-time NBA champion is traveling with TNT Sports and taking part in live editions of Inside the NBA from Madison Square Garden and Gainbridge Fieldhouse, continuing his work with the company when he is not playing. Barkley was asked about Green’s future as a broadcaster, to which he expressed optimism that it would be his path.
“Oh, he’s going to be doing that for sure,” Barkley said. “Yeah – we already paying him, so he’s definitely going to be doing that.”
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