Depending on who is more annoying during the day, Charles Barkley’s stance shifts on the NBA media rights saga. He went from blaming the TNT execs to announcing his retirement as a way to accept that NBA on TNT is over, to blaming the league execs for shuttering Inside the NBA. His stance gets more complicated as days go by. He doesn’t officially call off retirement but hints at talking to other networks or seeing his contract through. Warner Bros. Discovery has shown all the signs to keep Chuck irrespective of the NBA. Recently, plans have floated around to make Sir Charles a personality beyond basketball.

The success of it happening is entirely dependent on the man of the hour. Charles Barkley could make or break these plans and fans’ hopes. And there’s no way to predict how it goes.

An incentive for Chuck?

John Ourand, a sports business insider, told Jimmy Traina on his podcast that Charles Barkley has multiple options. “David Zaslav has told people that even having lost the NBA, Charles Barkley is still a bona fide television star. He’s great on television. And they have other sports that are there. They have March Madness, Barkley has been part of their hockey coverage here and there, and they want to just do more in sports, and he could expand from just doing NBA to being a sports commentator perhaps,” as per Ourand.

As he said, Barkley’s duties at WBD weren’t limited to Inside the NBA and its spinoff, The Steam Room. He joined Ernie Johnson on golf coverage for The Match, covered the NCAA, and recently experimented with the talk show format on King Charles. There’s an indication that WBD wants Barkley to be the face of a new post-NBA revamp.

A big factor in deciding that would be Chuck’s contract. This is the complicated part. He signed a 10-year contract in 2022 that Chuck recently revealed is worth $210 million. Before the NBA media rights were finalized, Barkley said that his contract had an opt-out clause in case the NBA leaves TNT. If he left, he would be the most expensive free agent in sportscasting. Even after he announced his retirement, Amazon, ESPN, and NBC have expressed interest in signing all four Inside Guys too.

However, it’s unclear that it wasn’t a clean opt-out clause. It’s more like a negotiation. Barkley said that Turner has to call him with an offer. And he’s not prepared to take a pay cut for them botching the negotiations. He’s open that he’s been speaking to other networks too.

So it appears that even a clear retirement is not possible unless Chuck and TNT come to an agreement. If he stays at Turner, he doesn’t get paid more than the agreed $210 million. However, Turner wants to take all the lessons learned from King Charles’ failure to give him better marketing skills in a new role.

Or Chuck could stick to what he’s doing. At least Amazon is expressive of offering a bigger payday that would make ending the TNT contract worthwhile and recreate the Inside the NBA magic but on Amazon. But there’s another downside – Chuck’s mood.

Charles Barkley remains unpredictable

David Zaslav ticked off Chuck when he said in 2022 that TNT doesn’t need the NBA. Barkley disagreed on behalf of the thousands employed under Inside the NBA and NBA on TNT. For months, Barkley defied the WBD PR order and slammed the Turner execs for botching negotiations and keeping employees – including the on-air personalities in the dark. When he announced his retirement during the NBA Finals, he seemingly accepted that TNT had lost.

TNT truly lost after the league rejected its attempt to match Amazon. Barkley responded before Turner themselves, accusing the league of putting money over fans. Yet, he doesn’t support Turner’s decision to sue the league. While WBD prepares litigation, it has to simultaneously negotiate with the Inside Guys for future possibilities.

Ourand bluntly said that Zaslav could be “vindictive” and give Chuck the short end of the deal or make it hard for him to go to another network. It also depends on how much Barkley wants to restart elsewhere. The idea tires him out just saying it. But he would be convinced if Shaq, Kenny, and Ernie are also signed along. He still maintains that he is retiring in 2025. Unless you force him to take a pay cut. In this case, Chuck will be the unpredictable Chuck.

Editorial Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of EssentiallySports.

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.