One of my favorite assignments as a sports media writer was in 2013, when I rode the C train in New York City with Charles Barkley. The TNT NBA analyst had never ridden the New York City subway before, and some clever Turner Sports publicist came up with the idea of having Barkley take the train from Manhattan to Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. “Barkley to Barclay!”
The New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets were both struggling at the time, and as we sat in a crowded subway car with New Yorkers excited to see the NBA Hall of Famer, Barkley heard a baby cry.
“I’m going to see the Knicks and the Nets, so I know exactly how that kid feels,” Barkley joked. There was a burst of laughter in the car. You can watch some of my riding videos, very amateur, here:
Someone who knew Barkley well once told me that he hated being alone. This quote has stayed with me, and I’ve always noticed the energy he drew from being around people, including on a subway car more than a decade ago.
I’ve interviewed Barkley multiple times, but I don’t want to overstate my opinion of him. I don’t know much about his life outside of work. But in all my interactions with him over a decade, including an interview with him in front of nearly a thousand people at the South by Southwest music festival, I don’t think I’ve ever met him alone. He’s always with someone. If you have never read this story about Buckley and a gentleman named Wang Lin, I think you will find it enlightening because it gives you an idea of Buckley’s desire to connect with people.
That’s why I don’t think he’s leaving sports broadcasting.
So, about that. With the NBA Finals coming to an end on Monday night — a loss for a competitive series and a massive drop in ratings — the NBA’s focus turns to future media rights deals and the official completion of the NBA Draft. But after Game 4 of the NBA Finals last week, Barkley said he would retire from television after the 2024-25 season regardless of NBA media rights negotiations with Warner Bros. Discovery Channel, sparking tensions with media rights A major shock unrelated to the transaction.
“I’m not going anywhere but TNT,” Barkley said on NBA TV. “But I’ve made the decision myself that no matter what happens, next year will be my last year on television.”
Hearing this sentence, I seemed to go back in time. Barkley first told me he was considering retiring from broadcasting in 2012, when he said completing his contract with Turner Sports would be a struggle. He is 49 years old.
“I love my job,” Barkley said at the time. “I love the people I work with. I’m going to try to do some things to keep me involved. But I have four years left on my current contract and I’m going to try to finish those four years, honestly. I really don’t know How long am I going to do this. I need something more, or something else to do.
“I thought I would be doing this for three or four years, but now I’ve been doing it for 13 years. When I entered my fifth year in broadcasting, I thought, ‘Okay, I’ll do it for a few more years.’ ” But now I’m like, ‘Man, you’ve been doing this for 13 years,’ and if I make it to the end of the contract, it’ll be 17 years. Seventeen years is a long time. It’s a lifetime in broadcasting. I Personally I have to figure out my next challenge.
Charles Barkley (right) with the “NBA on TNT” crew on set for the 2024 All-Star Game. Their future after next season is uncertain. (Brandon Todd/NBAE via Getty Images)
Fast forward to 2018. Competitor It’s a lengthy interview with Buckley, who once again sets an end date for his tenure as broadcaster.
German: How many more years do you want to be a broadcaster?
Buckley: I try to live to be 60 because I still want to stay young enough to enjoy life and have fun. No disrespect to older people, but I don’t think you’re going to have a lot of fun when you’re 70 or 75.
German: When we spoke before, you told me you were considering quitting broadcasting, but you stuck with it. What has changed?
Buckley: Well, first, money (laugh). I have a great contract. But I think 60 is the end.
It’s not over at 60. Some say he enjoys the spotlight too much. Another said they believed someone would change his mind when he made it clear how much they wanted him. I spoke with a sports television executive who hires NBA talent, and he said that as long as Barkley remains in the public spotlight, people won’t give up on that so easily. The executive believes Barkley will change his mind. There are also those at WBD who believe there are issues that can be worked out with Barkley, with or without NBA media rights. TNT released a statement leaving the matter open.
“We look forward to another exciting season of ‘NBA on TNT’ and further discussing our future plans with him,” the statement read.
The NBA season is long and exhausting. For TNT Sports employees, especially those behind the scenes, the rights deal has been a mess. As many have written, WBD CEO David Zaslav held a seminar on how to alienate potential sports media partners. When Barkley spoke on NBA TV, he sounded tired, to my ears, and in previous interviews, he had clearly been unhappy with the entire process. I don’t think this is a negotiating tactic as he would have no problem getting paid $15 million to $20 million per year on a future deal. I also think what he said last week makes sense.
But keep this prediction in mind: I don’t think it will last. After resting and recharging, Barkley will continue to appear on television beyond 2025.
deeper
Marchand: Charles Barkley says he’s retiring, but the story isn’t over yet
(Top photo of Charles Barkley in 2016: David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images)
