Charles Barkley has long been one of the co-hosts of Inside the NBA but, over the last year he had the opportunity to search for employment elsewhere. After TNT struck a deal to license Inside out to ESPN, Barkley fielded offers from other companies. He eventually opted to work with ESPN and maintain duties at TNT as well. Interestingly enough, the basketball hall of famer was also offered a significant amount of cash from NBC, and he didn’t hold back while explaining why turned down the job despite the big paycheck.
This isn’t the first time “Sir Charles” has mentioned that he spoke with other media corporations while plotting out his professional future. Barkley, who walked back his retirement plans in 2024, specifically named NBC as one of the entities he met with. Yet it wasn’t until the former Phoenix Sun appeared on The Bill Simmons Podcast that he revealed his reason for denying the deal he was offered by the NBCUniversal-owned corporation. Apparently, it came down to what Barkley referred to as “bullshit” within the deal:
So I met with Amazon, and I met with NBC. [I] got an offer from NBC for more money…. Well, I probably would’ve went there [, but] they had a bunch of bullshit. They were talking about a — not gonna lie — they offered me more money. But, when they sent the contract to me, it had Kentucky Derby, it had the US Open…. It had five appearances on Today, five appearances on [The Tonight Show Starring] Jimmy Fallon, the Olympics in ‘28 and ‘30.
Bill Simmons went on to say during the interview (which is on YouTube) that he “liked all those” specific events including Charles Barkley in their coverage. However, the “Round Mound of Rebound” himself bluntly stated that he wasn’t for any of it. Barkley then told Simmons that at this point in his career, he has no interest in working more as he gets older.
The former NBA MVP did admit that he was down for working two days a week because of his respect for former NBCUniversal chairman Mark Lazarus, who hired him at Turner years ago. However, a specific “red flag” paired with the contract specifications are what discouraged Barkley from signing on the dotted line:
By the time I got the contract, they’re like, ‘Well once football [is] over, you’re going to work three days a week.’ And then when they put Kentucky Derby, US Open and Olympics ‘28 and ‘30, I said, ‘Hell no!’
While NBC apparently offered both Charles Barkley and Ernie Johnson the chance to move and bring crew members with them, they opted against it and found an arrangement with TNT. Also, for clarity, this all occurred before the ESPN deal was solidified. Barkley said some wild things about Inside the NBA and its uncertain future throughout 2024. However, a point he consistently made clear is that he wanted to ensure his colleagues would remain employed. That desire to save jobs was a big reason why he decided to scrap his retirement plans.
Inside may be continuing, but Charles Barkley has still expressed concerns about the show’s future, particularly how it’ll be formatted now that it’s on ESPN. The early schedule that was released boosted fans’ fears, as it included a shortened time slot and fewer broadcasts. However, ESPN’s President of Content, Burke Magnus, recently told The Athletic, that the show will be “very similar” to the way it’s always been. Time will tell if it plays out to Barkley’s liking (and whether he’ll continue to dish on the jobs he turned down).
