Charles Barkley reveals opt-out clause if TNT loses NBA TV rights

On By Vaseline

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There may not be a bigger star in NBA television broadcasts than Charles Barkley.

His oversized personality and his chemistry with host Ernie Johnson Jr. and former players Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith make their studio show “Inside the NBA” incredibly popular.

But with TNT not part of the league’s next television deal, Sir Charles has ensured his partnership with “The Association” will continue.

“I just signed a 10-year contract two years ago, but one of the things I did was I opted out in a few years because I wanted to cover my ass when it came to this situation,” Barkley said Wednesday in an interview with 850 ESPN Cleveland.

The NBA’s contracts with ESPN/ABC and TNT expire at the end of the 2024-2025 season. And Amazon Prime reportedly struck a deal last month to become one of the NBA’s broadcast partners, starting with the 2025-2026 season.

ESPN/ABC is expected to continue broadcasting the NBA, including the NBA Finals. And NBC, which lost broadcast rights to the NBA in 2002, is reportedly interested in getting back into the league, which could leave TNT out of the picture.

Barkley said he recognized this could be a possibility when he and his “Inside the NBA” colleagues signed their new deals in 2022.

“I said, ‘If you lose the NBA, I want to make sure I can get out of here.’ So I’m actually in a great position,” Barkley said. “Listen, I love TNT, they’ve been great to me… I wanted to make sure that if we lost the NBA in two years, I would be a free agent. can be. .”

Contributing: Jordan Mendoza