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Charles Barkley made headlines recently when he released a statement critical of the NBA's new deal with Disney, Amazon and NBCU. Stephen A. Smith, who is signed to ESPN, which is under Disney, called out Barkley on the latest episode of "The Stephen A. Smith Show" on YouTube.
The eccentric analyst thought that people on TNT should not worry because they have the talent to get hired by Disney, Amazon and NBCU. He also pointed out that the hosts are getting paid handsomely by Warner Bros. Discovery and the issue isn't about the money since no one wants to work for free.
"Everybody's looking to get paid, everybody's trying to get paid and those people at TNT are incredibly talented. And if you are Amazon, if you are ESPN-ABC, if you are NBC and what have you, look at them. There's a lot of talent to pluck from that tree. They know what they're doing over there," Smith said.
The ESPN veteran added:
"The gloom and doom and all this other stuff, and because the money. ... Charles Barkley, you get paid, my brother, well. So is Shaq, so does Kenny and Ernie. Not in anybody's pocket and certainly not questioning that. You deserve it. Y'all my boys. I love you, you know that."
Charles Barkley released a statement last week regarding the NBA's decision to leave TNT, extend its deal with Disney/ESPN/ABC and sign a new one with NBCU and Amazon. Barkley was not happy with the league's decision to "choose money over fans."
Nevertheless, the 2024-25 season will be the final year where the NBA will be broadcast on TNT. It should also serve as the final season of "Inside the NBA," so fans should appreciate each time Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson are on the screen together.
Charles Barkley open to joining other networks, retirement still an option
Charles Barkley signed a massive 10-year, $210 contract with TNT but could become a free agent if the company doesn't honor the remainder of it. Barkley is just in the third year of the deal and is open to talking with other networks.
However, retirement is still the best option for the 61-year-old Hall of Famer, who loves golf so much.
"Right now, I'm planning on retiring. I'm not trying to do anything. But from a compensation standpoint, I said, 'I will sit down and see what y'all are going to have going forward.' I've been straight honest with all the companies," Barkley told The Athletic on Friday.
TNT also sued the NBA for rejecting the matching bid they made for a share of the league's media rights.
