Broadcasting free agency was a “humbling” experience for Charles Barkley, who left “at minimum $100 million” on the table to return to Turner Sports amid uncertainty surrounding TNT’s NBA space.
When appearing on “The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz” on Tuesday, Barkley was asked about his commitment to TNT following June’s shocking retirement bombshell as speculation swirled whether parent company Warnes Bros. Discovery would lose its NBA media rights after the 2024-25 season.
“The No. 1 thing for me is my people at Turner get to keep their jobs for at least another year, that’s all I was concerned with,” Barkley said.
Le Batard then asked Barkley the apparent nine-figure question.
“How much money do you think you left on the table in making that decision concerned about others?” Le Batard said, to which Barkley replied, “A minimum of $100 million.”
“It was a great feeling and I want to thank all those networks for reaching out to me, it was really humbling and cool. … Like I said, Dan, even though they were throwing crazy numbers I was like, ‘Damn,’ but as long as I got my people safe at TNT, man, I feel really good. Like I say, they going to pay me to go talk about nothing so I can’t look a gift horse in the mouth. I probably would have had to do an honest day’s work if I went to one of those other networks,” the Hall of Famer, 61, said.
Barkley has been an analyst for TNT since 2000, appearing on “Inside the NBA” alongside Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal.
The future of the beloved program became a giant question mark in May when it was reported the NBA was formalizing deals with Disney, NBC and Amazon for new rights contracts that would begin for 2025-26.
Weeks later, while covering the NBA Finals, Barkley said the 2024-25 season would be his final one on the small screen.
“I have made the decision myself — no matter what happens — next year is going to be my last year on television,” said Barkley, who mentioned he spoke to other networks.
Plans then shifted, when TNT and Barkley “reaffirmed his long-term commitment” in a joint statement earlier this month — two years after parties agreed to a 10-year deal.
“I love my TNT Sports family. 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,” Barkley said in his statement.
“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.”
The NBA media rights soap opera is far from over, however, as WBD sued the league in July over a matching rights clause in its contract.
TNT matched Amazon’s rights package, a source confirmed to The Post’s Ryan Glasspiegel, while the NBA said the network “did not match the terms” of Amazon’s.
