Charles Barkley surprised the basketball community with his retirement declaration, but was there more to this announcement? Barkley had already made it clear he was not gonna move to any other network if TNT lost its NBA TV rights. The only hope fans had in this scenario was for TNT to win this battle. However, Amazon, NBC, and ESPN are reportedly paying way more than TNT offered. So now, Chuck has stated he will bid farewell to the TV industry after next season, irrespective of what happens with TNT. There might be a hidden agenda behind it, though.

A recent article by Fron Office Sports stated, “One source told “Tuned In” that he believes Barkley issued his latest retirement warning to make the media stop pestering him about where he’s going next. The great thing about Barkley is everybody expects him to change on a dime-and say outrageous things. That’s just Charles being Charles.” It further expressed the possibility that, since Chuck has always been so outspoken, if the next season will actually be his last, it’ll be worth watching.

Notably, Reggie Miller’s statement on Dan Patrick’s show also expressed a similar possibility. Miller said he had a conversation with Barkley about his decision. “If this is my last year at Turner as well, we’re going to have fun and go out with a bang,” Miller recalled Barkley’s statement. As for his own opinion, Miller too believes Barkley is not a person who will let others dictate his actions.

His retirement declaration could be his last power move in an attempt for TNT to retain the NBA TV rights or his actual stand against the media. According to reports, the NBA wants Warner Bros. Discovery to pay at least $2.8 billion to retain the B package.

According to the reports, the NBA is still amid negotiations on the media rights. As of now, Disney, Amazon, NBC, and Warner Bros. Discovery are all contenders for different packages. But if WBD becomes the odd one out, that will be it for TNT’s Inside the NBA. In the last month, the NBA commissioner was himself unsure of what the future holds.

“Who knows… We’re all still talking. Who knows how it’s gonna work out,” Adam Silver told TMZ Sports. Amid such uncertainty, if the media kept pestering Chuck with questions about his future, it was bound to get on his nerves.

What exactly did Charles Barkley say about his retirement?

Most of the media sources reported the 11x All-Star’s statement of his last year on TV. However, a lot of them failed to report the frustration behind this statement. Appearing on NBA TV, Barkley stated he hopes Inside the NBA stays with TNT.

“But I want to tell y’all personally… I’m done doing interviews. This is gonna be my last time on television until Lake Tahoe. And I’m not doing any interviews… I’m not gonna talk about this cr*p anymore,” Barkley said. The former Philadelphia 76ers star further mentioned he was tired of all these interviews. And then came his declaration that no matter what happens, next year will be his last on television.

However, it seems he already has options of successors whom he can consider passing the baton to. These options include Jamal Crawford, Vince Carter, and Steve Smith. Now only the time will tell if next year will be Barkley’s last in the television industry. But more importantly, if he sticks to this, if in case TNT retains the NBA rights.

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.