Charles Barkley, the outspoken NBA legend and long-time face of TNT’s Inside the NBA, recently revealed that he left a staggering $100 million (R1800 million) on the table to stay with TNT Sports. During a candid conversation on The Dan LeBatard Show, Barkley opened up about his decision to remain with TNT, a network he’s called home for over 25 years, despite receiving jaw-dropping offers from several other networks.
Barkley shared that while he had lucrative deals lined up, what really mattered to him was ensuring that his “people” at TNT Sports kept their jobs for at least one more year, especially with the impending shift of NBA broadcasting rights to Disney, NBC, and Amazon.
“The number one thing for me is my people at Turner getting to keep their jobs for at least another year, and that’s all I was concerned with,” Barkley explained. He then casually dropped the bombshell that he had walked away from “a minimum of $100 million” to make sure that happened.
Barkley also reflected on what it was like to be a free agent in the world of sports broadcasting, describing the experience as “a great feeling.” He expressed gratitude to the networks that reached out to him with offers, but in the end, no amount of money could convince him to leave his team at Turner behind.
Charles Barkley says he left $100 million on the table to return to Turner Sports so his people there could keep their jobs for another year
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 13, 2024
(@LeBatardShow )
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Just last week, Barkley put any rumours to rest by confirming that he would honour his 10-year, $210 million contract extension with TNT, which he signed in 2022. This comes after he previously hinted that he might walk away from the network if they lost the NBA broadcasting rights.
“I love my TNT Sports family,” Barkley said in a statement. “My number one priority has been and always will be our people and keeping everyone together for as long as possible. We have the most amazing people, and they are the best at what they do. I’m looking forward to continuing to work with them both on the shows we currently have and the new ones we develop together in the future. This is the only place for me.”
Main Image: Fox News
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