May 20, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Former NBA player and current TNT television personality Charles Barkley prior to game one of the Eastern Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs between the Atlanta Hawks and the Cleveland Cavaliers at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Let the Charles Barkley farewell tour commence. The Hall of Famer and TNT analyst announced on Friday that next season will be his last on television.
Barkley made the announcement during the NBA TV postgame show after Game 4 of the 2024 NBA Finals.
“I really love TNT. All the people that work here, NBA television. You guys have been great to me for 24 years,” said Barkley. “I just want to say thank you to my entire NBA family. There’s been a lot of noise around our network the last few months. And I just want to say, I talked to all the other networks and I’m not going nowhere other than TNT.
“But I have made the decision myself, no matter what happens, next year is going to be my last year on television.”
BREAKING: Charles Barkley announced next year will be his last year on television, via @NBATV.
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) June 15, 2024
By the end of the 2024-25 season, TNT is expected to lose its rights to broadcast NBA games to rival network NBC. The open secret has created uncertainty surrounding the future of the “Inside the NBA” cast.
Barkley in particular was expected to start a massive media bidding war for his services before he decided to announce his retirement.
But after 24 years of working for TNT, Barkley appears content to just let the clock run out.
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