Source: Mitchell Layton / Getty
Charles Barkley has had a whirlwind week.
He expounded on his beef with Kendrick Perkins, picked a fight with WNBA players over “petty” Caitlin Clark treatment, and now he’s turned his sights to his employer.
For the last few weeks, there have been rumors about Inside The NBA‘s future because of TNT’s contract expiring, so Chuck kept it real, fully blaming his bosses for its crumbling on a recent episode of The Dan Patrick Show.
“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. You know, these people I work with, they screwed this thing up clearly, and we don’t have zero idea of what’s going to happen,” Barkley said.
Aside from Barkley addressing the possibility of having to split up from his longtime crew—Shaquille O’Neal, Ernie Johnson, and Kenny Smith—he also mentioned the new five-year deal TNT signed with ESPN for College Football Playoff rights. The financial terms are reportedly an extension from the deal ESPN signed with the CFP for $7.8 billion.
“I don’t feel good, I’m not going to lie, especially when it came out yesterday and said we bought college football. I was like, well damn, they could have used that money to buy the NBA [rights],” said Barkley.
Famously leaving ESPN after 18 years and ditching NBC on Football Night America, Patrick knows a thing or two about leaving behind major networks and suggests Barkley produce Inside the NBA himself. Unsurprisingly, Barkley’s got his own production company, and the idea has crossed his mind.
“I have my own production company, I would love to do that if if we lose it [NBA rights],” Barkley said. “But I have definitely had — actually somebody suggested that to me, to be honest with you, on the internet — ‘so why doesn’t Charles Barkley sign these three, guys four guys total to his production company and sell it?’ I’m like, ‘That’s a great idea.’”
See how social media is reacting to Barkley’s latest IDGAF moment below.
