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‘Morale Sucks’: Charles Barkley Blasts TNT Leaders, Calls Them ‘Clowns,’ As Network Faces Losing Its NBA TV Rights
Charles Barkley criticizes TNT leaders, branding them 'clowns,' amid TNT's potential loss of NBA TV rights. Barkley's comments highlight internal issues. Read more
The potential loss of NBA rights at TNT has left Charles Barkley, a popular figure on the Inside the NBA show, feeling perplexed, disheartened, and ireful.
TNT's hold over NBA games hangs by a thread, and Barkley can't help but express his fury at the administration of their NBA association.
Reports on Tuesday suggest that the imminent establishment of new media rights contracts between the NBA and Disney/ESPN, NBC, and Amazon might mark the end of TNT's two-decade-long engagement with NBA games.
Even though Warner Bros. Discovery, TNT's parent company, has the means to equal NBC's offer, it seems unforeseeable.
“Morale sucks, plain and simple. I just feel so bad for the people I work with, Dan. These people have families, and I just really feel bad for them right now. These people I work with they screwed this thing up, clearly, and we don’t have zero idea what’s gonna happen." He added, "I don’t feel good. I’m not gonna lie, especially when they came out yesterday and said we bought college football. I was like, well, damn, they could have used that money to buy the NBA.”
Within this scenario, Barkley made an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show, criticizing the management for their handling of the NBA situation.
He conveyed the unsurprisingly low spirits at TNT and expressed disappointment at WBD's decision to pursue rights to college football playoff games.
Despite TNT's precarious situation, Inside the NBA continues to rank among the most-watched studio shows in the sports realm.
Alongside Barkley, Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O'Neal contribute to the show's success, offering candid commentary and laughter-eliciting moments that outmatch rival shows.
Barkley also conjectured that David Zaslav, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO, may have irked NBA Commissioner Adam Silver by proclaiming that they could survive without the NBA in 2022.
This statement, coming just as media rights negotiations loomed, appears to be an ill omen, particularly with WBD aiming to reduce expenses.
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Charles Barkley's Plan B: Inside the NBA's potential future without TNT
Charles Barkley, the NBA legend who turned into an Inside the NBA studio host, didn't restrain his feelings when he graced The Dan Patrick Show. He lashed out at Warner Bros.
Discovery, their parent company. He also mentioned considering a revival of the famous NBA studio show through his production house if TNT Sports were deprived of NBA rights.
Barkley further revealed that he, along with co-hosts Shaquille O'Neal and Kenny Smith, have this idea. It's worth noting that while WBD holds ownership of Inside the NBA, Barkley might be able to reestablish it under a distinct brand if he ventures independently.
Barkley expressed, "In case we forfeit the [NBA rights], I would be passionate about doing it with my own production company."
He added that someone had proposed this idea to him over the internet, suggesting he sign these three co-hosts to his production, which he affirmed as being a great idea.
Currently, the destination of the NBA rights remains uncertain, but most reports predict ESPN is likely to retain the 'A' package of games.
In contrast, Amazon secures a deal for the 'C' package, leaving NBC Sports with a competitive edge for the 'B' package that Warner Bros. Discovery's TNT Sports presently holds.
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