2024 has been about big career moves by Charles Barkley. But it really began in 2018. He was close to becoming the most expensive free agent in sportscasting but committed to the $210 million contract with TNT. It’s the same contract he renewed in 2022. By that point, Sir Charles was securing his future better than TNT did its own. He kept his options ready in case the NBA leaves its TV home of 35 years. Now he’s put those plans in motion with Round Mound Media.

His production house has been in existence since 2018, while Jeff Zucker was in charge at Turner Sports. Zucker left, but Chuck chose to stay twice. Since then, Barkley has ranted about Turner’s mismanagement of its current crisis.

Charles Barkley’s overdue grievance with Turner

After months of ranting and name-calling, Charles Barkley could have ended his tirade against TNT in August 2024. Well, not! Chuck may have called off retirement to develop new shows for TNT after losing the NBA, but he’s not going to spend the entirety of a 10-year contract. He’s ready to become a media mogul after leaving TV through Round Mound Media. While he’s at it, he’s dropped hints about retiring or open to other options.

In conversation with Jim Jackson, Chuck is again pointing out where Turner went wrong. “I was very disappointed, I’ve been disappointed at Turner for a long time.. because this should have been done three years ago when I had more television production stuff out there.” 

He proceeded to say, “They haven’t been a great partner, they been a great TV partner as far as my basketball career… I love the Turner family as far as my basketball stuff. But as far as my television production…it should have happened probably five years ago.”

Before the NBA finalized the new media rights deal, an angry Charles Barkley claimed that he’d reboot Inside the NBA under his studio if TNT botched it up. However, Round Mound Media is not eyeing the show and Turner is a partner. But Chuck’s grudge is interesting.

The previous incarnation of Barkley’s studio has two credits – American Race (2017) and The Great Debate with Charles Barkley (2022). Now Chuck says “I should have probably 20, 30 projects. Which, I’m not going to be on TV.”

It’s not clear why Barkley didn’t run it independently of TNT like Shaq does with Jersey Legends Productions. Regardless it sounds like he always wanted to develop new content at Turner which didn’t work out.

TNT had Chuck on The Steam Room and on golf or NHL segments. It was not enough though. He was inches from taking a major offer from LIV Golf. But after a major social media campaign from fans, Chuck renewed his contract with TNT in 2022. That contract also contained a ‘free agency’ clause in case the Warner Bros. Discovery network lost the NBA.

Again, Chuck was close to exercising that clause and stayed anyway. TNT can’t get comfortable though. Barkley’s exposed that Turner has not figured out what it’s going to do for the final season of the NBA and beyond 2025. With every interview, Chuck is seemingly losing patience.

He wants his colleagues to keep their jobs but he claims Studio J in Atlanta is run by a skeleton crew. It doesn’t look like Turner can sustain Charles’ goal. So he’s seized the opportunity to do it himself. “My job is to help other people become successful. But Turner has not been a good partner for me because I should have been way ahead of where I am now. And now Jeff came into the picture and hopefully he can take my company to the next level.”

Apparently they’re already working on it.

Chuck is not reliant on TNT anymore

Zucker had been at Turner in 2019 when the network stayed out of his production ventures and he had resigned from CNN in 2022. Perhaps Zucker didn’t have the liberty to boost Chuck’s studio while at TNT. Zucker’s Redbird IMI backs EverWonder Studios, Round Mound Media’s new partner. Which means both will curate the content.

Along with the announcement, the studios confirmed they already have 10 projects underway. Reportedly, one of the first projects is a Barkley documentary.

It’s going to be different from TNT. Where Chuck, Shaq, Kenny, and Ernie get into all sorts of unfiltered antics on Inside the NBA, The Steam Room, TNT Tuesdays, and more, Barkley hopes to bring diverse representation on TV. TNT Sports reportedly has a first-look deal but it’s not clear how much creative input they’d have.

By renewing his commitment in TNT’s post-NBA era, Barkley is taking on more creative license. He intends to develop new content to replace the lack of basketball. How Turner handles it though will make the difference in retaining Chuck.