Did Charles Barkley miss out on $100 million to stay at TNT?
As the saga continues between the Hall of Famer and the networks that be, there’s been another plot twist and that’s the nine-figure payday he missed out on.
What looked to be a nasty breakup in the making was seemingly avoided when Charles Barkley announced that he would not be leaving for retirement, but rather would be staying on to continue his work as an NBA analyst on TV. The former 76ers star has now spoken to some interesting details that were to some interesting details that were part of that process.
Charles Barkley opted out of a huge salary
If you’ve been following up to this point, then you likely know that a few things have happened recently in the world of sports broadcasting regarding the NBA. For starters, the league has now agreed to a mammoth deal with ESPN, NBC, and Amazon, having ended its long-running deal with TNT. That move brought with it a whole lot of backlash, with TNT having since threatened litigation. Then, there were the personnel issues, namely the scenario surrounding analyst and former NBA star, Charles Barkley, who declared that would likely either leave the network or retire, a decision he has since walked back on.
How much did Charles Barkley lose by returning to TNT?
— Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (@LeBatardShow) August 13, 2024
"A minimum of $100 million. A minimum."
Barkley explains why he chose to return to Turner Sports as a broadcasting free agent.
"The number-one thing for me is that my people at Turner get to keep their jobs another year." pic.twitter.com/lGLZgg4nFZ
Ultimately, Barkley decided to stay with the network which brings us to a rather interesting take that he gave during an appearance on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz on Tuesday, where he discussed his decision to stay and what he gave up to do so. According to the former Phoenix Suns icon, there was a major offer made by one of the above-mentioned networks in an attempt to secure the signature of arguably the biggest free agent in sports media. When asked by Le Batard just how much that was, Barkley said it was in excess of $100 million before explaining that he was happy to miss out on the huge payday as he preferred instead to protect the jobs of the people he currently works with.
“It was a great feeling and I want to thank all those networks for reaching out to me,” Barkley said. “It was really humbling and cool. It was humbling and cool. It was really humbling and cool, to be honest with you. But I wasn’t even thinking, like I said Dan, even though they were throwing crazy numbers, I was like damn. But, long as I got my people safe at TNT man, I feel really good. Like I say, they gonna pay me to go and talk about nothing so I don’t want to look a gift horse in a mouth. Hey Dan, I probably would have had to do an honest day’s work if I went to one of those other networks.”
Now, it’s worth noting that not long ago Barkley told Dan Patrick that he was in the third year of a 10-year, $210 million contract, meaning if he lost out on an additional $100 million that would put the offer made to him over $300 million. Regardless, what stands true is the fact that the 61-year-old who is widely regarded as the best in the business is staying put. Of course, there are layers to this in the sense that TNT’s deal with the NBA expires at the end of the coming season which begs the question of how long will Barkley’s ‘people’ get to keep their jobs? Also, do consider that some of his comments in the recent past haven’t exactly been consistent with the message he now espouses. From seemingly trying to attract offers from LIV Golf to declaring that he would never take a pay cut, one has to wonder whether he will stay the course once the network enters the post-NBA period. Stay tuned.
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