“Ain’t They Going Forever?”: Fans Rub Salt On Charles Barkley’s Joy As TNT Looks To Wrap Up NBA Season In Dallas

Netizens are not letting Charles Barkley make his peace with the Inside the NBA situation on their watch. It is well known by now that 2024-25 can be the last season for TNT’s domestic rights to the NBA. And it’s not as if Barkley has not expressed his disappointment over this, but after a certain point, one has to move on. The former Philadelphia 76ers star seemed to be in a similar mood in a recent video shared by CBS News Texas’ Jett Beachum.

“We are one day away from vacation, y’all. I’m in a great mood. One more day I’ll be on vacation for 4 months,” Chuck said in the video. Notably, the Eastern Conference Finals between the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers concluded with the Celtics sweeping the Pacers. So Charles Barkley’s “one more day” is most likely a reference to the upcoming Game 4 between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Dallas Mavericks.

From what it seems, the 11x All-Star believes the Mavericks will complete the sweep today. This is the only arguable explanation behind Chuck’s statement as once the Conference Finals are over, it will be ABC network and not TNT, who will cover the NBA Finals.

ESPN and TNT are the primary broadcasters of the league’s regular season, with ABC broadcasting to some extent in the second half of the regular season. The playoffs’ broadcasting rights are also split between different networks. However, ABC is the exclusive broadcaster of the entire NBA Finals series, which means Barkley’s vacation time begins once the Conference Finals conclude. But some fans on X are rubbing salt on the 76ers star’s moment of happiness rather than being happy for him.

How have the fans reacted to Charle Barkley’s upcoming vacation plans?

The whole “one more day” notion is based on the assumption that the Mavericks beat the Wolves in Game 4. One X user wants the same for Mavs, but he considered a different outcome only to witness Chuck getting annoyed. “As much as I want the Mavs to sweep, I kinda want to see Chuck pouting in a game 5 in Minnesota,” the fan wrote.

Notably, Charles Barkley and other cast members still have one more season left with ‘Inside the NBA’. Furthermore, NBA commissioner Adam Silver has recently hinted that it’s not yet all over for TNT. “Who knows… We’re all still talking. Who knows how it’s gonna work out,” Silver told TMZ Sports. But some fans would rather fixate on Chuck’s pain point that this may just be it. “Ain’t they going forever?” commented another fan.

Meanwhile, yet another X user tried rubbing Barkley’s nose at the possibility of ‘Inside the NBA’ running for the last time on TNT in 2025. “12 months away from being on vacation forever.”

Although only a few, there were some who showed some sentimental value towards the show. There is no denying the show has had a successful run for over three decades now. During this time, the show, cast members, and their camaraderie gained significant love from the fans. Along similar lines, a fan posted his reaction to the possibility of the show ending after the next season, writing, “I’m gonna miss this show soo damn much.”

Yet another X user expressed his desire to somehow keep the cast of the show: Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson together. “Amen! Now how are we going to keep these guys together?? Just love them all….🫶”

Now that NBA Adam Silver has hinted towards the existence of possibilities, everything depends on whether TNT can still turn the tables in its favor.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato had to say about the marketing genius, watch this video.