Desperate for a Job, Charles Barkley Is Fine Working for a Company That Could Work Him Like a Dog & Not Pay Him

There was so much uncertainty surrounding the NBA’s TV rights negotiations. NBC, Amazon, and ESPN were all in close contention. Their interest in the league left TNT in limbo; So much so that Adam Silver acknowledged it. “I will say directly from me (to) the people that seem to be most impacted right now — the folks at Turner Sports — I apologize that this has been a prolonged process.”

Now Charles Barkley‘s downtime began after TNT covered the Western Conference Finals, but his commentary on the execs mishandling the situation hasn’t fizzled out. He went rogue and repeatedly slammed Turner for putting all the jobs at Inside the NBA at risk. ‘Chuck’ was secure in his $70 million net worth and comfortable walking away from his $100 million contract with TNT. But he was worried about the employees who depended on their jobs at the show for their livelihood. Then why was he singing a different tune later?

When Dan Dakich asked if he’d consider working at ESPN, Barkley served a plot twist. “I wouldn’t have any problem going, taking a job anywhere. I need a J-O-B. I got grandkids now. I got two grandkids,” the Chuckster said on Outkick.

NBA has reportedly finalized a deal with ESPN to retain the marquee rights and the other packages going to Amazon and NBC. The package ‘A’ falls under ESPN and involves NBA Finals, conference finals, weekly primetime games, and the WNBA. On the other hand, NBC is said to have proposed package ‘B’ that has the ‘Basketball Night in America’ or ‘Sunday Night Basketball’ while the Amazon deal is said to revolve around the Emirates In-Season tournament, the SoFi Play-In Tournament, the first-round playoff game, and the WNBA.

The fate of TNT isn’t official yet but it could mean that Chuck’s Emmy-winning show, Inside the NBA ends after the 2025 season. Most hope that Chuck, along with Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson, continue their work on another network. However, Barkley had shunned ESPN before.

A year ago, when his friends at ESPN got laid off, Barkley berated them on live TV, stating, “They are going to work me like a dog and not pay me.” 700 employees were laid off. Thus, Charles Barkley maintained that stance and vehemently refuted working at the Disney-owned network. He remained vague about working at NBC in the past, too. But this time, he’s ready to shift from his stance.

Why is Charles Barkley worried about his grandkids?

Barkley’s only daughter, Christiana Barkley, has two children, Henry and Charlie (named after her Big-Pop) who are both toddlers. Christiana is a journalist based in New York with her husband and children. While Chuck was sad she didn’t lean into basketball, he’s proud of her for attending Villanova and Columbia.

But he now seems to be worried about Christiana being able to send Henry and Charlie to college. “By the time they go to college, it’s going to be like a million dollars. I got to keep making money,” he told Dakich.

Making education accessible and advocating for athletes to focus on college as well has been a big part of Chuck’s philanthropy. He knows it’s expensive enough and sponsors scholarships. That’s why the NBA Hall of Famer dedicated a part of his will to helping students at his alma mater- Auburn University. It stands only for Black students. It is Barkley’s way of encouraging more diversity at Auburn.

However, he thinks that by the time his grandkids reach college, “I’m gonna have to get a second job, not just a new job.”

ESPN, if you’re watching, do it for Henry and Charlie.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the Reese-Clark rivalry and more, watch this video.