In 2016, after his retirement, an interviewer questioned Kobe Bryant if he had any plans to join sports broadcasting. At the time, he said, “I’m just not interested. I don’t have the passion to pursue it.” Yet, something changed as Charles Barkley had earlier revealed the Lakers legend was apparently in talks with TNT. However, according to Sir Charles, Kobe lacked a crucial thing that could have been translated on TV.

“The thing with Kobe was so interesting because he’s like, ‘Hey, I want to keep it a secret, I want to keep it a secret,” Charles Barkley spoke about Kobe Bryant almost joining TNT on Podcast P with Paul George. The Philadelphia 76ers legend also explained why the move failed by mentioning, “And then he doesn’t realize the extra stuff we have to do.”

The extra stuff Barkley is referring to is the promotional material that the cast has to do. He mentioned how they are introduced on any show as “Welcome TNT Thursday night Charles Barkley,” as they need to point it out when the show is on air. Speaking about it, he had mentioned it 2 years ago, on a podcast with Draymond Green, and even claimed Kobe Bryant had signed a deal with TNT.

“He actually signed with us but when we started telling him like, we had to do a bunch of radio shows,” Barkley spoke about how even though the show aired on Thursday, they had to appear on different radio shows for marketing.

As per the 61-year-old, the promotional campaign used to take place at least 5 days a week. So Kobe Bryant made his mind up by not joining Shaquille O’Neal, Ernie Johnson, and Kenny Smith.

“He like, ‘yeah I don’t wanna do all that stuff,‘” said Barkley.

Notably, Kobe Bryant already had multiple hats on as a business mogul. And later, he would even start coaching his daughter Gigi and her team. So it can be seen why Kobe wanted to deny the TNT offer. But Charles Barkley also spoke about how Kobe wasn’t a perfect fit.

Kobe Bryant not joining TNT because of his personality

Last year, Charles Barkley joined the Kelce brothers on their New Heights Podcast. When he was asked about the difference in the show if Kobe had appeared, “I don’t think his personality, and what I mean by that, I don’t think he is built to have a lot of fun… I don’t know if he was built to have fun.”

Barkley continued that Kobe Bryant was a “real serious guy” and with the show being on for hours, it wouldn’t have translated well to the audience. And with the established on-screen tomfoolery of the Inside Crew, Kobe might have struggled to express himself as per Barkley. Kobe Bryant was known for his no-nonsense attitude on the court. He would even get angry at his teammates for not doing their jobs.

But off-court, he was always ready to help people. The story of Kobe Bryant always sparks strong opinions, as his rivals not only resented his skill but also his Mamba Mentality. A legend indeed!

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.