“Wish I Had A Job”: Charles Barkley Goes on ESPN Live to Market LinkedIn Resume with Uncertain TNT Future

Unfortunately, TNT’s uncertain future in the NBA has turned into humor. Earlier, when the news about the Inside Guys show’s possible end hit the headlines, the entire NBA world had a meltdown. Independent analysts and fans showed solidarity, wishing to see them in the upcoming seasons. However, the situation didn’t seem to change as the future of Charles Barkley & Co. still hangs by a thin thread. The legend even went on ESPN Live, marketing his LinkedIn resume.

Tonight, Barkley joined ESPN’s 2024 Stanley Cup Finals coverage and brought his usual charm to his analysis. At times, he even sprinkled his light-hearted humor. Of course, he didn’t forget to bring the TNT situation to the table, rather humorously. “Listen, I wish I had a job next year. I’m on LinkedIn. I put on my resume, they are like ‘You never had a real job’. I said that’s not my fault”.

In fact, this isn’t the first time when Charles Barkley spoke about his LinkedIn resume on air. During the NBA postseason coverage, he made a similar comment while speaking to Ernie Johnson. When Ernie tried to wrap up the show, Chuck cut him in and said, “Wait, 2 ‘0 clock tomorrow afternoon?… We are not doing that, are we? Because I am gonna be on LinkedIn tomorrow afternoon.”

Notably, that comment was also made with light-hearted humor. It indeed conveyed the message to the masses. The veteran NBA analysts are left stranded with no way out. And they have opted to express their situation through humor. While Amazon Prime and ESPN/ABC have locked their slots with the new media rights deal, TNT has been battling with NBC to take the third spot. However, several reports have confirmed that TNT is nowhere closer to getting the deal in their favor, unfortunately.

Will Charles Barkley ditch TNT?

Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley have emerged as household names through their show, Inside Guys. While it’s the people who the fans miss, not the cable, one might expect other broadcasters to steal the legends into their coverage. Notably, in the last two days, these two legends were spotted in different broadcasts.

Yesterday, Shaq appeared on NBA TV covering the Finals from Boston. And, tonight, Chuck appeared on ESPN coverage for the Stanley Cup Finals. Moreover, the ESPN veterans on the show can be seen jokingly luring Barkley into the organization.

On the other hand, Chuck also has the option of ditching TNT. In 2022, the legend signed a mega 10-year deal with the organization, which was even estimated at $100 million. Even though the long-term deal seemed like a mistake, he had also made an easy way out. In his latest feature in the ESPN podcast, Chuck opened up about his escape clause in the contract.

He said, “I just signed a 10-year deal two years ago but one of the things I did was I put an opt-out after a couple years because I wanted to cover my ass when it comes to this situation.” Will Charles Barkley ditch TNT and join other broadcasters? Let us know in the comments.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, had to say about WNBA sensation Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese in EssentiallySports’ exclusive conversation with Vishal Kolar.